<i> Spathodea campanulata</i> : African tulip tree

Tropical tree with brilliant, showy flowers

The African tulip tree is rare in Southern California, probably because it is from tropical Africa (western Kenya and Uganda) and needs special conditions to grow here. But it is slowly gaining popularity.

Some horticulturists say that much of the year, Spathodea campanulata is not such a good-looking tree; that during the winter, when the leaves have fallen off, its structure and twiggy limbs do not make an attractive picture. (In our climate it is deciduous; in more tropical areas--Hawaii, for instance--it is not.)

The big however , the plantsmen say, is that starting in September it bursts into bloom with the most brilliant orange-red flowers tipped in yellow. Set in clusters, they unfurl what looks like the clutched furry brown fingers of an upturned hand. And the blooming keeps up for about two or three months.

The large, multiple, dark-green leaves are about 2 feet long, with four to eight pairs of leaflets. There is an even rarer version that has yellow flowers.

Possibly the oldest--about 40 years old and 45 to 50 feet tall with equal spread--is growing at the San Diego Zoo, at Bear Canyon. In the West Los Angeles area, there is another large one (about 35 feet) on Venice Boulevard.

A much smaller one (but just as spectacular) is on the UCLA campus at Circle Drive and Tiverton Avenue. At the time the tree is in flower, red-yellow aloe spikes bloom at its base, giving the illusion that orange-red paint is dripping out of the tree and splashing on the ground.

Usually planted as a specimen tree, it must be protected from the wind and cold--it is sensitive to 28 degrees; the limbs are brittle. An older tree will recover from frost damage but a younger one might not. It does best in coastal areas (but not right on the ocean). It does not like heavy clay soil and needs full sun to bloom. In the summer months it likes water.

Available at Coastal Zone Nursery in Malibu (24-inch boxes and up), Rancho Soledad Nurseries in Rancho Santa Fe (15- and 35-gallon) and from your local nursery if ordered from San Marcos Growers in Santa Barbara.