Japanese Apricot / Prunus mume

HEIGHT 20–33 ft (6–10 m)
TYPE Deciduous
OCCURRENCE China, Japan

Cultivated for over 1,500 years for its variously colored blossoms, this Japanese apricot has more than 300 cultivars. It has a rounded crown. BARK Gray to greenish. LEAF Alternate, ovate, hairy, sharply toothed margins. FLOWER Large, white to pink to red, and fragrant; borne singly or in pairs on old wood. FRUIT Spherical to ovoid drupe, fleshy, yellow, barely edible.

Plum / Prunus x domestica

HEIGHT up to 33 ft (10 m)
TYPE Deciduous
OCCURRENCE Garden origin

Many cultivars of this tree are grown for its culinary plum. Its crown is broad and spreading. BARK Gray-brown, fissured with age. LEAF Alternate, elliptic to obovate, toothed margins. FLOWER In clusters on short shoots, five white petals. FRUIT Ovoid drupe, yellow, red, or purple, sweet or sharp taste.

Coco Plum / Chrysobalanus icaco

HEIGHT up to 20 ft (6 m)
TYPE Evergreen
OCCURRENCE US (S. Florida) to N. South America, Africa

Usually shrubby, the coco plum grows in tropical coastal areas and is useful for stabilizing dunes and soil. BARK Graybrown, with lenticels. LEAF Alternate, leathery, shiny dark green above, paler beneath, short-stalked. FLOWER Several, in cymes at ends of branches, with 4–5 white petals. FRUIT White to purple, plumlike drupe, with spongy, whitish, edible flesh.

Princess Flower / Tibouchina urvilleana

HEIGHT up to 16 ft (5 m)
TYPE Evergreen
OCCURRENCE Brazil

Widely cultivated in warm regions for its showy flowers that bloom for most of the year and its velvety foliage, this tree is a popular ornamental. BARK Pale brown, thin. LEAF Opposite, lanceolate-ovate, dark green, often with red edges, and 3–5 prominent veins. FLOWER Purple blossoms, 5 in (12.5 cm) wide, with hooked stamens, held in terminal panicles above foliage. FRUIT Dry, hard brown capsule.

Malaysian Apple / Syzygium malaccense

HEIGHT up to 60 ft (18 m)
TYPE Evergreen
OCCURRENCE S.E. Asia, Pacific Islands

This tropical tree is grown for its edible fruit, yielding more than 200 lb (100 kg) per tree. BARK Gray, smooth, and mottled. LEAF Opposite, leathery, dark green, soft. FLOWER Fragrant, in clusters of 2–8, with a funnel-like base, topped by five thick green sepals and four (usually pink to dark-red) petals; many stamens. FRUIT Pearshaped, deep red, white, or pink berry.

Jambolan / Syzygium cumini

HEIGHT up to 100 ft (30 m)
TYPE Evergreen
OCCURRENCE Indonesia, India

The jambolan is a tropical and subtropical tree. Juice is extracted from its fruit, which is eaten both raw and cooked. In the Philippines and Suriname, it is used to make vinegar and liquor. All parts of the tree are used in traditional medicine. BARK Gray, smooth; the base is rough and flaking. LEAF Opposite, oblong; pink when young, dark green when mature. FLOWER Rose pink to white, in branched, fragrant clusters at stem tips; 4–5 fused petals, many stamens. FRUIT Purple-black, oval berry, up to 2 in (5 cm) long, whitish, juicy pulp with one seed.

Durian / Durio zibethinus

HEIGHT 100–130 ft (30–40 m)
TYPE Evergreen
OCCURRENCE Sumatra, Borneo, cultivated elsewhere in S.E. Asia

The durian is famous—or notorious — for its fruits: though a delicacy, they are banned in hotels and on public transit because of their overpowering smell. BARK Gray to reddish brown, flaking irregularly. LEAF Alternate, smooth above, covered with hairs and silvery scales beneath. FLOWER In axillary clusters, with five yellowish white petals and five pale golden sepals. FRUIT Green to yellow, spherical capsule; seeds covered with creamy sweet flesh.

Floss Silk Tree / Ceiba speciosa

HEIGHT 50–75 ft (15–22 m)

TYPE Deciduous

OCCURRENCE South America (Brazil, N.E. Argentina), planted elsewhere in the tropics

Locally cultivated in South America before the arrival of the Europeans, this tree is characterized by a spiny, swollen trunk that can store water, and its green avocado-like fruit, which releases cottonlike fibers when ripe. This tree is often planted in the southern US as a street tree for its display of spectacular deep pink flowers. BARK Yellowish green, spiny, particularly when young. LEAF Alternate, digitate, with 5–7 narrowly elliptic leaflets. FLOWER Deep pink, 23⁄4–41⁄4 in (7–11 cm) long, with a streaked white to yellow base and oblong to spoon-shaped petals. FRUIT Large, woody, pear-shaped capsule; seeds in a mass of silky hairs.

Simul / Bombax ceiba

HEIGHT up to 80 ft (25 m)

TYPE Deciduous

OCCURRENCE Sri Lanka, China, Malaysia, Australia

Often planted as a street tree, the simul is a blaze of color when in flower. BARK Grayish white. LEAF Alternate, palmate; 5–7 oblong-lanceolate, smooth leaflets. FLOWER Solitary, terminal, large, brilliant scarlet, with numerous stamens. FRUIT Woody capsule; seeds surrounded by fluffy hairs.

Tallowwood / Eucalyptus microcorys

HEIGHT up to 180 ft (55 m)

TYPE Evergreen

OCCURRENCE Australia (New South Wales, Queensland)

The tallowwood’s low-branching habit and dense, spreading crown make it an effective windbreak. It is found in wet forests or rainforest margins, usually on slopes. This tall tree has strong, durable timber that takes a good polish. It is also used as an ornamental, for hedging, and as a shade tree. Koalas depend on it for food and shelter. BARK Soft, flaky, fibrous, brown to yellow-brown, with surface pores. LEAF Alternate, lanceolate, glossy dark green, stalked. FLOWER Small, creamy white, arranged in umbels in groups of five; hermaphroditic (has both male and female organs), pollinated by bees. FRUIT Narrow, funnel-shaped capsule.