Malvaceae (mallow family) Pseudobombax

Pseudobombax ellipticum shaving-brush tree

Mexico to Nicaragua, Caribbean
Pseudobombax ellipticum leaves, green bark. John Rawlings, ca. 2005

This tree, named for its showy 6-inch-long flowers with many 4-inch stamens, can grow to 30 feet in the wild but is shorter in cultivation. In around 2001, a specimen was planted at the edge of the Arizona Garden, on the side closest to Palm Drive. Its green bark was similar to that of the nearby Ceiba speciosa, but without the spikes. It never did really well and was removed around 2019.

About this Entry: The main text of this entry is from the book Trees of Stanford and Environs, by Ronald Bracewell, published 2005. Family updated from Bombacaceae to Malvaceae (Jan 2018, SP). Entry rewritten, removal noted (Aug 2024, SP).