Madeira. Susanne Lipps
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con-spicuous red blossoms. To attract birds the plant produces particularly much nectar that often drips from the blossoms. Thus the tree is also called “Cry-Baby”. The plant tolerates low frost. Although it uses to freeze back there, it can even be cultivated outdoors in Southern England. Being quite hardy and undemand-ing you may often find it being cultivated in unheated greenhouses of botanical gardens.
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In the Gardens
Judas Tree
Cercis siliquastrum
Bloom time
From March to May.
Characteristics
The little tree grows up to 5 m (5,5 yd.) tall and sheds off its rounded leaves in win-ter. The magenta blossoms remind of those of papilion-aceous plants. They appear before the leaves emerge and are situated in short racemes directly on the twigs (stem-flowering or cauliflo-ry), often lining them entirely.
Site:
On Madeira you will probably not find the Judas Tree very frequently. It prefers quite chilly and foggy sites at an altitude of 300-600 m (330-655 yd.) where it grows in sever-al parks, e.g. in the Palheiro Gardens (191).
Interesting to know:
The tree is native to the bush lands of the eastern Mediterranean regions and the Near East. Its name is derived from “Judaea tree”, denomination that refers to its geographical origin. The legend tells us that Judas Iscariot hung himself on a tree of this species after realizing the consequences he had caused by betraying Christ. The plant’s blossoms are sup-posed to symbolize his blood. Its flat seeds are representing the coins that Judas received by the authorities as the reward for his treason.
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In the Gardens
Cape Chestnut Tree
Calodendrum capense
Bloom time
From May to July.
Characteristics
The tree reaches a height of 7-15 m (7,5-16,5 yd.) and has a smooth trunk with many branches and a broad canopy. The leaves are up to 20 cm (8‘‘) long and remind of Sweet Chestnut Trees but appear separately. The conical inflo-rescences are pink and consist of numerous blooms which each have five narrow petals.
Site:
The Cape Chestnut Tree does not appear very frequently on Madeira. Occasionally you may find it in several parks and gardens, most-ly in the municipal area of Funchal or for example in the Palheiro Gardens (191).
Interesting to know:
The Cape Chestnut Tree originates from re-gions that are close to the South African coast. It was introduced as an ornamental plant in many tropical and subtropical countries for its attractive blossoms. The plant is a member of the Rue family (Rutaceae) and thus is not closely related to the Sweet Chestnut Tree, which belongs to the Beech family (Fagaceae). Horse Chestnut Trees make up another family. Rutaceae are nearly exclusively found in warm-er zones of the earth. Both leaves and fruits contain ethereal oils. Oranges and lemons are popular representatives of the Rue family.
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In the Gardens
Peruvian Pepper Tree
Schinus molle
Bloom time
From October to Febru-ary; fruit bearing from May onwards.
Characteristics
The tree grows up to 8 m (9 yd.) tall. With its pendulous twigs it reminds of a Weep-ing Willow. If you crumble the pinnate, likewise pen-dulous leaves they smell intensively of pepper. Green berries that become pink at maturity develop from the whitish, inconspicuous flow-ers organized in panicles.
Site:
On Madeira you will mainly find Peru-vian Pepper Trees as ornamental plants at the southern coast, up to an altitude of 400 m (440 yd.). They are most frequently culti-vated in the parks and gardens of Funchal; e.g. there are various specimens to be found in the Parque Santa Catarina (198).
Interesting to know:
The Peruvian Pepper Tree is not only native to Peru - as implies the denomination - but to all tropical sites in Latin America from Argentina to Mexico. It is not related to the Black Pepper Plant (Piper nigrum), which provides authentic pep-per. The fruits also taste hot but somewhat bit-ter and resinous; in former times they were used to thin down the expensive authentic pepper. The “pink berries” that are on the market today use to be fruits from the Brazilian Pepper Tree (Schinus terebinthifolius). They are toxic in larg-er quantities and should thus be used thriftily.
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In the Gardens
Tricoloured Frangipani, Tricoloured Temple Tree
Plumeria tricolor
Bloom time
From June to October; single blossoms all year round.
Characteristics
The tree grows up to 6 m (6,5 yd.) tall; first branches emerge shortly above the ground. The gnarled branches contain a milky sap and form a broad crown. The dark green leaves are large and longish. They are shed up during bloom-ing time and leave scars. The flowers are coloured cream-pink or cream-orange.
Site:
The Tricoloured Frangipani grows in parks and gardens in south coast areas up to an altitude of 300 m (330 yd.). In Funchal, beautiful specimens are to be found in the Parque Santa Catarina (198)and in the Jardim Municipal (198).
Interesting to know:
The Tricoloured Frangipani is indigenous to Mexico and the northern part of South Amer-ica. The wild form has white blossoms with a yellow base. Today the cultivars are mostly grown in tropical Asia. As a symbol of eternal life they are commonly planted in temple areas and on graveyards together with the Singapore Frangipani (Plumeria obtusa). Frangipani was the name of the Italian producer of a popu-lar perfume in the 12th century. It is said that when Europeans discovered the tree centuries later in America, the strong fragrance of the blossoms reminded them of this perfume. On Madeira you can also