(Scheidecker Crabapple)

The slow-growing but disease-susceptible Scheidecker crabapple covers itself in mid-spring with a great profusion of pink buds that open white and then blush back to pink. This deciduous tree has a rounded, upward-branching habit that is dense upon the smooth gray trunk. It is a hybrid created with the cross of two east Asian crabapples, Malus prunifolia and Malus floribunda.

The slender oval leaves are mid-green with teeth on the edges. The leaves unfurl as the mid-sring flowerin...

(O-zumi, Zumi Crabapple)

This crabapple, Malus zumi, is a widely adapted, large deciduous tree with well-anchored branches that ascend when the tree is young but eventually reach outward, giving the tree a broad spreading shape. In spring it begins bloom with a profusion of deep-red buds that clothe the branches. The flowers are white and fragrant and attract bees. The flowers produce pollen so prolifically that this tree is often planted to pollinate other trees. They are followed by small, glossy red fruits that...

(Mango)

Mango trees are long-lived, large and bear the queen of tropical fruits. They are evergreen and native to tropical Asia, particularly the area from eastern India to Myanmar, and produce luscious sweet mangoes when mature.

This fruit has been cultivated for centuries. It is said that Buddhist monks brought the fruit to Malaya and eastern Asia sometime during the third or fourth centuries. The trees spread throughout the subtropical and tropical regions of the world as global exploration expanded....

(Markhamia)

This largely tropical plant family comprises some 800 species of often showy-flowered vines, trees, and shrubs. Most members of the Bignoniaceae inhabit South America, but a few are of North American or Old World origin. Many are cultivated as garden or greenhouse ornamentals, and a few are grown for timber.

The opposite or whorled leaves of these woody plants are palmately or pinnately compound (with leaflets in a finger- or feather-like arrangement), or sometimes simple. The showy, five-petaled,...

(Mayten)

The mayten tree is an exquisite small evergreen accent tree with a habit quite similar to that of a weeping willow. It is a small, slow-growing tree, well-suited for small spaces. This is a native of regions in Chile where conditions are warm and dry, so it is grown warmer regions where its natural drought resistance is appreciated. The tree bears beautiful,dark bark and a straight trunk that supports a strong network of branches. The twigs are long and pendulous, lined with abundant small dark-green...

(Cajeput Tree, Paperbark Tree, Punk Tree)

Perhaps the most famous tropical paperbark tree, punk tree's whitish tan bark peels and flakes in large sheets. A broadleaf evergreen tree from the eastern coast of Australia and eastern New Guinea, it typically attains an upright, open-branching form although specimens can become beautifully billowing and rounded.

The flat, oval, leathery leaves are deep green and may blush purple in the frosts of winter. Newly emerging leaves are shiny and pale green with soft hairs. In late summer but primarily...

(Chinaberry Tree)

Thousands of tiny, lilac-pink, star-shaped flowers followed by golden yellow fruits make Chinaberry tree a showy ornamental. However, it has proven to be invasive and should be planted only after consulting local experts. A rounded, deciduous tree with grayish brown bark, it is native to China and northern India.

The foliage is beautiful. Leaves are doubly pinnate: a large petiole (leaf stem) branches into secondary stems that bear the many, glossy dark-green leaflets. In mid-spring the tips of...

(Meryta)

A lush, broadleaf evergreen small tree from subtropical New Caledonia, east of Australia, Denham's meryta has large, coarse glossy foliage of a dark green. While an upright single-stemmed plant when young, it eventually branches to create an irregular but rounded canopy that casts dense shade.

The very long tongue-like leathery leaves get larger with longer daylength and with ample water. Wavy-edged and dark green, they have crinkled texture and prominent yellowed veins. At a quick glance, the...

(Puka)

An interesting broadleaf evergreen small tree from New Zealand, puka has glossy foliage of a rich emerald green. While an upright to twisted single-stemmed plant when young, it eventually branches to create an irregular but rounded canopy that casts shade.

The paddle-like, leahtery leaves get larger with longer daylength and with ample water. Medium to deep emerald green, they usually persist on the plant unless unusual cold or lack of soil moisture causes their drop. At a quick glance, the...

(Dawn Redwood)

This deciduous conifer is a fast-growing, imposing relative of the redwood. Native to China, it was known only from the fossil record until a few trees were discovered in 1944 and identified in 1948. Today it is grown and loved the world over for its feathery foliage, muscular trunk and magnificent, narrow, pyramidal habit. The bark is shredded and reddish brown, eventually becoming beautifully gnarled and rugged with chocolate brown and orange tones. With age, the trunk becomes broadly grooved and...