Re: Phytolacca dioica and Off Topic/Perideniya Botanic Garden, Sri Lanka

To add to what Glenn, had to say about this, it is
also sometimes seen in Southern California, and I
think there are still a couple to be seen in the Santa
Barbara area, and possibly also in Santa Monica.  The
book  "Trees of Santa Barbara", lists locations, if I
remember correctly, but I am not at home to check
this, but off in Kandy, Sri Lanka instead, where I was
admiring the Amherstia nobilis trees in full bloom at
the Perideniya Botanic Garden, a fabulous place to
visit if you are in Sri Lanka.  I would have to say
that it is on par with Kirstenbosch back in Cape Town,
which was also worth every bit of the 5 days I spent
wandering all around the gardens.  These botanic
gardens that have 200 hundred years of history have it
all over recent new comers such as UC Santa Cruz or
Strybing, as some trees just need that extra time to
reach their full potential!

It was also interesting to have further identified a
few mystery plants that I have been growing in my own
California garden, thanks to one of the new book
purchases made today on native Sri Lankan wild
flowers.  The mystery Clerodendrum species with masses
of small pink flowers and virtually everblooming, may
also have extended its range into northern and
subtropical South Africa, but is native to Sri Lanka! 
It gives me hope that more plants from this part of
the world can be grown in our mediterannean climate as
well!  I had purchased this plant years ago as C.
myricoides from Gary Hammer's nursery in Los Angeles,
but after looking up C. myricoides at the Kirstenbosch
Herbarium, realized that it was a guess on Gary's
part.  I will have to follow up for anyone who is
interested in this plant's species name, because I
haven't got it memorized yet.  It does get about 8
feet tall, blooms nearly all year, and has smaller
sized soft pink flowers than C. ugandense, arranged in
18 inch long densely blooming spikes, and the
butterflies love it.

Another surprise plant to see at Perideniya today, if
only because I didn't know it was so cosmopolitan, was
Dianella ensifolia, looking a bit more lush and
tropical and less bamboo like here, but also with less
of the beautiful deep blue berries my plant gets at
home.  Another plant worth trying for the adventurous,
but unfortunately San Marcos Growers no longer sells
it.

Several other plants that looked interesting to try
would be Rhodomyrtus tomentosa, which is a small 15
foot tall mult-itrunked tree from the highlands of Sri
Lanka, and has beautiful deep rose myrtaceous flowers,
and foliage and bark quite similar to a Feijoa
sellowiana.  If I am not mistaken, this may also be
native to  Hong Kong Island.  As well, it was amazing
to see a Champaca Tree in the gardens that had a 6
foot diameter trunk and was over 60 foot tall!

The palm collection was also quite beautiful, and I
now want to collect the various other smaller sized
Phoenix species beyond the ubiquitous P. roebellenii
and P. reclinata.  Having seen the native species to
Crete on a previous trip, the Cliff Date Palm from
India is also stunning.  

Add Kandy and Perideniya to your list of gardens to
see, if so inclined.  It is also exciting to be here
and feel the optimism of the locals now that the peace
talks have started, the cease fire has held for over 7
months, and the east coast as well as the far north of
Sri Lanka are now again open to tourism.  A wonderful
country and beautiful people, the equal of the South
Africans I met over the past month... 


--- Glenn Breayley <valhalla@iafrica.com> wrote:
> 
> Hi All
> This tree is not widely grown but not uncommon
> here,where its commonly known
> as the monkey grape.
> A few observations - It gets very big. Botanica
> gives it as 15m (50ft) high
> by 3m (10ft) wide. The heights probably right but
> I've seen specimens easily
> 15m+ wide as well. ie - make sure you have the room
> for it. 

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