Dombeya wallichii, by Bob Mitchell – Part 1 of 3

 

Cultivation:  Dombeya needs warm, moist conditions to flourish.

Propagation:  Is by summer cuttings or by seed.

Position:  Dombeya wallichii is growing in the west border at the north section of the Display Glasshouse.  Grid: H8.

 

Some of the Dombeya species are used for their fibre and others in paper making.  Most are decorative, winter-flowering trees and shrubs for warm and tropical regions.  They are related to cocoa - Theobroma cacao and the hardy, small tree Fremontodendron californicum.   Dombeya wallichii is a small tree with large, broadly ovate, downy leaves and with dense, tight clusters of pendulous flowers situated below the leaves.  The individual, five-petalled, pink flowers have been likened to hollyhock.  These clusters flower in succession from December to March.

Funchal Botanic Garden in Madeira features several species.

 

Dombeya wallichii parts 1-3 References:

Cullen, James et al.  1997.  The European Garden Flora.  Cambridge.

Heywood, V.H.   1985. Flowering Plants of the World.  Croom Helm.

Mabberley, D.J. 2006.  Mabberley’s Plant-Book. 3rd Edition.  Cambridge

https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?id=409985

http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-2775269?ref=tpl2

http://plants.jstor.org/stable/10.5555/al.ap.person.bm000002124

http://valencia-international.com/cavanilles/

https://abcjournal.org/index.php/ABC/article/viewFile/1054/1005

 

Check back soon for the next part!