The cottonwood is a lovely small to medium tree that isn’t used that often, but is a fabulous addition to a garden (in my opinion) when used. This member of the Malvaceae family is a native of coastal Australia (from Port Macquarie to Cape York), as well as south-east Asia and South Pacific islands. It is great for planting in the coastal conditions it is adapted to as it can deal with the salinity and water logging that can occur in these area. the binomial name has the following meaning:
- Hibiscus-the Latin word for ‘marsh mallow’ which, in turn, comes from the Greek word ‘hibiskos’.
- Tiliaceus-this again comes from Latin. ’Tilia’ is Latin for the linden tree, while ‘-aceus’ is the Latin suffix for ‘resembling’, thus this hibiscus resembles the linden tree.
The cottonwood tree has love dark green to purple foliage, which is my personal favourite feature of this species. In shape, the leaves are almost circular, up to eighteen centimetres long. the lower surface of the leaf can be paler and hairy.
The flowers appear in a terminal raceme. They are yellow in colour and have a red basal spot. The flowers are followed by globose to oblong fruits that reach about 2.5cm long.
The native habitat of the cottonwood is in coastal forest, on beaches and along the banks of tidal streams. It thrives in tropical and sub-tropical areas. In Sydney it also does well where I have seen it growing, where the climate is more warm-temperate. It is also important for wildlife-it is a known food plant for the larvae of the common oak blue butterfly. This adds to its charm for me, as I love watching butterflies!
While the tree is relatively trouble free, it will need some formative pruning when young. This is because the trees lower branches can grow to sit at ground level. In saying that, I quite like the look of the tree in its natural shape too.
If I had the space in my garden, this tree would be in it without hesitation. I love the leaves, the flowers and the form of the tree, whether pruned or not.