Sterculia lanceolataScarlet Sterculia

For most of the year Sterculia lanceolata is a quiet, glossy-leaved evergreen of five to ten metres. In autumn it becomes something else entirely, as the fruit ripens into clusters of boat-shaped scarlet follicles that split open to display rows of shining black seeds against the red interior.

That display is the reason it is planted so widely as a park and street tree across southern China and Indochina, and it comes on a tree small enough to sit comfortably in a constrained urban space.

Specifications

• Height5 to 10 metres, occasionally to 15 metres
• Width4 to 8 metres
• Native toSouthern China including Hainan, Indochina and north-east India
• FoliageLance-shaped to oblong glossy green leaves; evergreen
• Growth rateModerate

Conditions

• SoilPrefers moist, deep, free-draining soils
• LightFull sun to partial shade
• WaterModerate; needs regular water through the growing season
• ClimateThrives in subtropical and tropical regions

Additional Features

• FlowersSmall pinkish-red star-shaped flowers in loose panicles in spring
• FruitBoat-shaped scarlet follicles splitting in autumn to display shining black seeds
• UsesStreet and courtyard trees, park groupings, campus planting and small-scale canopy
• SpacingPlant 5 to 7 metres apart for a continuous canopy
• Low MaintenanceFormative pruning to lift the crown, then little attention
• Pest ResistanceGenerally robust in subtropical conditions
• Seasonal AppealA striking autumn fruit display on an otherwise quiet evergreen tree
• Wildlife AttractionThe exposed seeds are readily taken by birds

The Scarlet Sterculia is a compact evergreen street tree that delivers a genuinely unusual autumn display.