The African Tulip Tree (Spathodea campanulata) is a shade-tolerant, evergreen tree native to equatorial Africa. It is a member of the Bignoniaceae Family, which includes the Jacaranda (also growing on Maui). It is also known as Flame Tree, Fountain Tree, Indian Cedar, and Santo Domingo Mahogany.
Though it was originally introduced as a domesticated ornamental tree, the African Tulip Tree has escaped cultivation and invaded agricultural land, forest plantations, and natural forests; it is now one of the dominant canopy trees in all of Hawaii’s rain forests and has become a serious threat to the biodiversity of that ecosystem.
The African Tulip Tree is a tall tree, growing to more than 75 feet (30 m) in some habitats. It favors moist and wet areas from sea level to 1,000 m throughout Hawaii. The flower’s calyx is a leathery sack filled with watery sap (which attracts many ants, though the flower’s aroma is quite foul) from which blooms a bright scarlet-orange flower that grows in large terminal clusters. It sets flowers year-round, but the most prolific flowering occurs in Winter through Spring. The fruit consists of clusters of upright, canoe-shaped capsules about 10 inches long and 2.5 inches in diameter; these contain hundreds of small flat winged seeds that are easily disbursed by the wind. The seed pods are buoyant and so are easily carried off by streams and surf action to germinate far from the parent tree. The tree also propagates readily from root suckers, broken root pieces, and fallen branches.
Rain forests and drier mesic forests are very susceptible to invasion by this tree. Its high reproductive rate and capacity allow it to colonize disturbed areas (either created by human activity or by storms) at the expense of native plant species. Once established in an area, the tree grows rapidly and it can easily exceed the height of the native flora and shade it. Furthermore, this tree has no natural enemies in the Pacific region.
If the African Tulip Tree replaces native tree species, the effect on the biodiversity of Hawaii’s forests would be disastrous because so many of the native species support numerous tree-dependent flora, such as vines and epiphytes.
Tags: African Tulip Tree, Bignoniaceae Family, Flame Tree, Fountain Tree, Indian Cedar, invasive species, Santo Domingo Mahogany, Spathodea campanulata, weeds
