Ornatec InternationalSpecies reference sheet ยท ornatecinternational.com
Turnera ulmifolia
Yellow Alder
Turnera ulmifolia opens a fresh set of bright yellow flowers every morning and closes them by early afternoon, and it does that almost every day of the year in a warm climate. Nothing else at this size gives colour on that schedule.
It makes a soft, rounded bush of about a metre with serrated elm-like leaves, and it is used as a mass bedding shrub on hot, exposed sites where irrigation is limited.
Specifications
- Height0.6 to 1.2 metres, occasionally to 1.5 metres
- Width0.6 to 1 metre
- Native toMexico, Central America and the West Indies
- FoliageSerrated, elm-like bright green leaves on soft-wooded stems; evergreen
- Growth rateFast
Conditions
- SoilPrefers well-drained soils; tolerates poor, sandy and stony ground
- LightFull sun
- WaterLow; drought-tolerant once established
- ClimateThrives in tropical, subtropical and warm arid regions and holds flowering through summer heat
Additional Features
- FlowersBright yellow five-petalled flowers opening each morning and closing by early afternoon, almost year round
- UsesMass bedding, median and roundabout planting, bed edging, car park islands and mixed borders
- SpacingPlant 0.5 to 0.7 metres apart for a continuous mass
- Low MaintenanceShear over two or three times a year to keep plants dense; self-seeds and should be edged
- Pest ResistanceGenerally trouble free in hot, exposed positions
- Drought ToleranceHolds flowering on low irrigation once established
- Wildlife AttractionFlowers are worked heavily by bees and butterflies
Yellow Alder gives a daily flower cycle at low height on very little water, which makes it a workhorse of hot-climate mass bedding.
Availability by project review. Sizes, quantities, origin and export readiness are confirmed after your plant schedule is reviewed against destination, timing and quarantine requirements. MEWA certified for supply into Saudi Arabia; Australian Export Registered Establishment.
Enquiries: sales@ornatecinternational.com
310 Donkin Rd, Utchee Creek QLD 4871, Australia
Prepared 08 September 2026