With the beautiful white flowers that bloom in the summer season and attractive glossy evergreen foliage, the beautiful leaf trees are tropical gems that most definitely deserve their name. They tend to grow slowly to a height of about 50 feet (15m) with a lush canopy that spreads 30 to 50 feet (9 to 15m). Their intense fragrance and dense shade tend to make them highly desirable specimen trees but, as you will see, they are not suitable for most North American landscapes.
What is a beauty leaf tree?
The beauty leaf tree or the Calophyllum tree in South Florida is a broadleaf evergreen native to Australia, Eastern Africa and Southern India to Malaysia. According to most Calophyllum tree info, lumber from a beauty leaf is quite hard and of good quality. In shipbuilding, it is used to make masts and planks, and it is even used to build fine furniture.
All parts of the Calophyllum brasiliensis are considered poisonous. The fruit is so toxic that it can even be ground and used as rat bait. The sap happens to be fatal when introduced into the bloodstream and was once used as an arrow poison.
Beauty leaf trees tend to make fine windbreak or hecalophyllum trees in South Floridadge trees. They excel as street trees in areas that are not frequented by pedestrians. Calophyllum can also be used for espalier trees.
The Calophyllum beauty leaf is a great tree for frost-free coastal areas. Sandy soil, strong winds and salt spray are not a problem. high winds give the trunk a lovely, gnarled and twisted character. The branches are strong and do not break when blown about.
Can you grow Calophyllum trees?
Beauty leaf trees are only for gardeners in frost-free areas.
If you live in a climate where you can grow a beauty leaf tree, you must consider the impact that the fruit has on the landscape before planting the tree. Hard, golf-ball-sized fruit drop from the tree when ripe. The fruit serves no useful purpose since it is poisonous and is not attractive to wildlife. Leaves and fruit create a significant litter problem, and falling fruit is a hazard to anyone who wishes to enjoy the shades of tree’s dense canopy.
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