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Spathodea campanulata

African Flame Tree · African Tuliptree · Flame of the Forest

Family BignoniaceaeGenus Spathodea

A ring of crumpled scarlet flowers with frilled gold edges, opening around a tight boss of curved brown buds, among glossy leaflets.
FlowerSteven HawCC BY 2.0

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

Habit
treePlants of the World Online
Habit
Perennial, TreePLANTS Database
Flower
Reddish-orange, crimsonWikipedia
Native range
Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo and elsewhereGBIF Backbone Taxonomy

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; PLANTS Database — USDA NRCS; Wikipedia — Wikipedia contributors; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Worth knowing

  • Its flower buds hold water, and people play with them because they squirt. It has been nominated as one of the world's 100 worst invasive species. Wikipedia: Spathodea

This source reports two treatments. Both are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around September 24, 2027 for a May 3 last frost. Too late for spring 2027 — that needed starting on September 23, 2026.

  1. Dry storage

    Duration: 180 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

  2. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: light

about 6 months from start to sowing. Then 14 days to germinate.

100% germination in 14 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Spathodea p. 79Public domain
Show the original text
Spathodea (Bignoniaceae). S. campanulata seeds DS 6 m or 1 v qerm 70L(100% in 2nd w) and none in 70D or 70 GA-3. ™ ^ o , 5 ?e C U , a r ia (CamPanu'aceae).
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Spathodea p. 79. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 2

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996

  1. Dry storage

    Duration: 180 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

  2. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

about 6 months from start to sowing.

0% germination.

Nothing germinated at 70.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Spathodea p. 79Public domain
Show the original text
Spathodea (Bignoniaceae). S. campanulata seeds DS 6 m or 1 v qerm 70L(100% in 2nd w) and none in 70D or 70 GA-3. ™ ^ o , 5 ?e C U , a r ia (CamPanu'aceae).
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Spathodea p. 79. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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