Grewia Occidentalis (Lavender Star Flower) questions...

tanlu wrote:Coh, I think you're right about it's former stressful environment contributing to me not seeing flowers. It's exploded in large fuzzy leaves on 8" shoots that are still extending. It's in a mix of bonsai and nursery soil. I'm planning to repot it into a larger nursery pot this spring and leave it outside until the first frost. How well does it respond to wiring?

T

On mine, the flower buds didn't start forming until after the growth surge had stopped...so if your plant is still going, you may have to wait a bit.

As for wiring - I haven't done any yet, so others (maybe Bill?) will have to comment on that.

coh wrote:Lennard,

One question I have is related to its winter dry period - does the tree shed its leaves during that period? You say it tolerates frost, what kind of winter temperatures are typical in that area? I wonder if it requires a cool, dry winter for proper long-term health.

The tree acts as an deciduous tree in winter by shedding it's leaves in the natural habitat. Temperatures go down to -4 degrees Celsius there. The roots and cambium on mature trees are quite fleshy - almost like Ficus, indicating they can withstand periods of drought. The tree can be wired but due to the fleshy cambium care must be taken.

Lennard

Here's a photo of my tree. As I said earlier I have not done any thing with it except trim off long branches. This tree appears to be delevoping what looks like aerial roots on the main trunk and some of the branches. Another interesting thing about this tree is it has tiny droplets of liquid along the bottom third of each leaf edge on top of the tree. I could not get a good shot of them. I have a Texas Ebony that does the same thing. No bugs of any kind. They must serve a purpose of some kind? It has nice taper all the way to the top, 26"





Mike

Lost2301 wrote: Another interesting thing about this tree is it has tiny droplets of liquid along the bottom third of each leaf edge on top of the tree. I could not get a good shot of them. I have a Texas Ebony that does the same thing. No bugs of any kind. They must serve a purpose of some kind? It has nice taper all the way to the top, 26"

Mine occasionally does this as well, mainly on younger leaves. And I don't have any insects on it either. Perhaps its purpose is to attract some kind of insect in its native environment, maybe to pollinate the flowers?

I haven't seen the aerial roots on mine, but it makes some sense - since the plant supposedly grows somewhat like a vine. I imagine the branches probably root readily where they contact the ground.

Amazing that even with all the top growth on your plant (much more than mine), the trunk is still so skinny. You might want to increase the pot size to see if the increased root mass encourages trunk thickening.