Dombeya wallichii - Part 1 of 3 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!