It is a beautiful tree with purple blooms that look like orchids! And it grows FAST! Up to 15 feet in it's first year! Commercial production of this tree is planting it and can harvest at year 5!
If you plant it in your yard you can have blossoms by the second year!
Not only that by it is a phyto-remediator which means it absorbs toxins from the soil and keeps them in the tree while increasing organic matter in the surrounding soil and releasing clean oxygen into the air. How cool is that?
It makes me want to run out and buy a bunch and plant them all over! They are a bit spendy, but they do re-grow from their own root if you chop down the trunk!
.MY daughter had one in her yard when she lived in Snohomish, Wa. It grew huge leaves and the flowers are heavenly. There were a few at some neighboring houses. It was too close to the house and they had to cut it down but left about a 4ft. stump and it just regrew. It is also known as the Empress Tree. MB
I looked at this, too, because I need a really fast growing tree just for a few years beside my deck. The largest negative is that they can release thousands of seeds and that they are considered a noxious and invasive weed in some areas. Maybe there is a hybrid which does not produce pods???? I'd love to know about it!
What I learned was that some varieties are less likely to grow from seed than others, and they are only "weedy" in certain areas that are great for their seed growth. Texas unfortunatly seems like it might be one of those "perfect" growing areas. Lots of sun to help germinate the seeds. Up here in the drier Northern Lower 48 they don't reseed as easily and so can be safely planted.
The only thing is- if you are planning on it only being there for a couple of years before you replace it with something else- you will have to kill the root because they can re-grow from their root base!
I just learned about the most AMAZING tree!
Posted - Apr 06 2010 : 07:24:54 AM
