Triplaris surinamensis, Blochmannia weigeltiana, Triplaris cumingiana

Tall columnar tree with spectacular long lasting red flowers in winter. It is fast growing, up to more than one hundred feet tall. It is called long John because it is a very slender and graceful tree. The trunk is straight and slightly cracked. Leaves are up to 15" long, 6" wide and very ornamental. The thick, hollow branches are devided in segments. Ants often eat the center of this tree. The male flowers are small white. Red female flowers are in big compound clusters. The brown seeds, small square nuts, have wings. When the seeds of this tree fall they look like many small helicopters gyrating to earth. They can be carried away by the wind for many miles before reaching the ground.