Portia tree, Indian tulip tree · Malvaceae · Evergreen tree
A coastal specialist. Glossy heart-shaped leaves, yellow hibiscus-like flowers ageing to maroon, and genuine tolerance of salt spray, saline soil and onshore wind. The tree to specify on a waterfront where ordinary stock burns.
Specification
| Mature height | 6–12 m |
| Crown spread | 5–10 m [to confirm] |
| Calliper range supplied | 10–30 cm, measured 1 m above soil level [to confirm] |
| Root-ball diameter | 60–120 cm [to confirm] |
| Growth rate | Moderate |
| Habit | Evergreen |
| Flowering | Yellow cupped flowers with a dark centre, ageing to maroon; near year-round |
| Minimum order quantity | [to confirm] |
Landscape use
Waterfront and marina planting, beachfront resorts, coastal roads, and windbreaks on exposed shorelines. Its scale suits promenades and courtyards where a larger canopy tree would dominate.
Its value is specifically coastal, and that is where it earns its place — holding form and foliage in salt spray and onshore wind that few other flowering trees will take.
Site tolerance
| Drought | Moderate to high |
| Salinity | Very high — salt spray, saline soil and brackish groundwater |
| Wind | Very high — holds form in onshore wind |
| Soil | Sandy and coastal soils; tolerates poor drainage better than most |
| Heat | High |
| USDA zone | 10–12 |
Export notes
Supplied root-balled and wrapped. Evergreen, so ships with foliage and is normally crown-reduced before loading. Phytosanitary certification accompanies every shipment. See export and compliance.
For available sizes and current stock in this species, get in touch.