Re: Monkey hand tree?
- To: "Seán A. O'Hara"
- Subject: Re: Monkey hand tree?
- From: W* B*
- Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2001 18:02:59 -0700 (PDT)
Hi Nan,
I heard somewhere that Montezuma had Chiranthodendron pentadactylon in his
botanic garden when the Spaniards came to Mexico. Does anyone know of
some way to find if this was true or not?
Elly Bade
Berkeley, California
On Tue, 3 Jul 2001, [iso-8859-1] "Seán A. O'Hara" wrote:
> At 04:46 PM 7/3/01 -0700, Nan Sterman wrote:
> >Anyone familiar with a monkey hand tree? Broad green leaves, unusual
> >scarlet flowers with stamens fused to the petals and bright yellow pollen
> >in long streaks, like fingers almost.
>
> Hi Nan -
>
> This tree is CHIRANTHODENDRON PENTADACTYLON. The leaves are very similar
> to a large, flat Fremontodendron leaf, perhaps less densely fuzzy. The
> flowers are also somewhat similar, usually upturned, five-petaled, more
> reddish-orange, and a curious delicate, hand-like floral structure arising
> out of the middle (like the
> central part of a Hibiscus, but opened on one side and flattened out with
> five finger-like tips). It is also called the Mexican Hand Tree. This
> plant grows much taller than Fremontodendrons, with a robust trunk.
>
> There is a bi-generic hybrid between this and Fremontodendron californicum
> which is called xCHIRANTHOFREMONTIA LENZII, and shares many intermediate
> characteristics of the parents. It seems to be large than a regular
> Fremontodendron but sometimes with that parent's characteristic off-center
> lilt at the main growth tip, creating a very distinctive shape. The
> flowers are more yellow orange than Chiranthodendron, and with a
> less-pronounced 'hand' that is none-the-less very interesting. This hybrid
> tree seems more tolerant of soils and relatively fast growing. It is only
> occasionally seen locally so more observation might produce more specific
> information.
>
> Sean O.
>
>
> h o r t u l u s a p t u s - 'a garden suited to its purpose'
> Seán A. O'Hara fax (707) 667-1173 sean@support.net
> 710 Jean Street, Oakland, CA 94610-1459, U.S.A.
>
>
