Common Name: hildegardia
Family: Malvaceae
Native Range: Western Africa
Zone: 12 to 12
Height: 80.00 to 100.00 feet
Spread: 50.00 to 70.00 feet
Bloom Time: Seasonal bloomer
Bloom Description: Orange-red
Sun: Full sun
Water: Dry to medium
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Flowering Tree
Flower: Showy
Fruit: Edible
Culture
Best grown in evenly moist to dry, sandy to rocky, well-draining soils in full sun. Requires a dry dormant period in winter. Hardy in tropical, frost-free Zones 12 and above.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Hildegardia barteri is a large, diciduous tree native to dry tropical forests of western Africa. Mature specimens can reach up to 100' tall with large buttresses and smooth, green-grey bark. The leaves are cordate in shape and can reach up to 8" long. Bright orange-red, 0.75" long, tubular flowers bloom in terminal panicles during the dry season before the new leaves emerge. The flowers are followed by papery samaras that contain a single seed. This tree is fast-growing and will flower two years after germinating. It has many ethnobotanical uses, including making fiber, household goods, and as a living fence. The seeds are also edible.
The genus name Hildegardia honors Saint Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), a German abbess, writer, composer, natural philosopher, and mystic.
The specific epithet barteri honors Charles Barter (?-1859), English plant collector and horticulturist.
Problems
Susceptible to cacao swollen shoot virus (CSSV). Otherwise free of pest and disease problems.
Uses
Suitable for use as a flowering specimen tree. Quick to establish and flower.