Help please :)

I was given a tree (in a pot) as a wedding gift – in all the craziness I forgot the name of it, and now the person who gave it to me has forgotten too :)

It has a very distinctive pattern of short, white, vertical lines on the trunk. My dad thinks it could be a Cape Lilac but I couldn’t find any photos that conclusively agreed with this.

Once I know what it is, I’ll have a whole new set of questions for you guys.. :)

I’m not a tropical plant person but i’d reckon it is possibly a Ficus of some type?

At first I thought Melia. (white cedar) Then I thought China doll. I forget the botanical ATM. Then I had to admit I really don’t know. I can see RB’s ficus link in the leaves but nothing else I’m sad to say.

Wait till Bubba Louie sees your pic Bon. She loves IDing plants. I’ll be interested in what it turns out to be too.

pomolo said:

At first I thought Melia. (white cedar) Then I thought China doll. I forget the botanical ATM. Then I had to admit I really don’t know. I can see RB’s ficus link in the leaves but nothing else I’m sad to say.

Wait till Bubba Louie sees your pic Bon. She loves IDing plants. I’ll be interested in what it turns out to be too.

Yes I thought White Cedar too, but the leaves are a bit too large all round?

Not white cedar…

Those “white stripes” look more like striations or welts of some kind…

roughbarked said:

I’m not a tropical plant person but i’d reckon it is possibly a Ficus of some type?

No way.

pomolo said:

At first I thought Melia. (white cedar) Then I thought China doll. I forget the botanical ATM. Then I had to admit I really don’t know. I can see RB’s ficus link in the leaves but nothing else I’m sad to say.

Wait till Bubba Louie sees your pic Bon. She loves IDing plants. I’ll be interested in what it turns out to be too.

I’ve already looked and I can’t find anything to match the markings on the trunk, but I’m pretty sure it’s not a ficus. I’m leaning toward Melia and that maybe the markings are just an abnormality.

Dinetta said:

Not white cedar…

Those “white stripes” look more like striations or welts of some kind…

That’s what I thought too. From damage of some kind?

Dinetta said:

pomolo said:

At first I thought Melia. (white cedar) Then I thought China doll. I forget the botanical ATM. Then I had to admit I really don’t know. I can see RB’s ficus link in the leaves but nothing else I’m sad to say.

Wait till Bubba Louie sees your pic Bon. She loves IDing plants. I’ll be interested in what it turns out to be too.

Yes I thought White Cedar too, but the leaves are a bit too large all round?

I don’t think it’s White Cedar..the leaves don’t seem serrated enough (assuming that mine is a White Cedar, which I was told it was when it was given to me)

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p70/beaver_album/White-cedar.jpg

I saw a ficus yesterday at the nursery which was similar to yours Bon…can’t remember what the variety was though

Ok, well this might be a hint..

When she gave it to me, I’m pretty sure she said it was a Chinese… something something.

I’m not 100% sure though, could have been Japanese something something??

AnneS said:

Dinetta said:

pomolo said:

At first I thought Melia. (white cedar) Then I thought China doll. I forget the botanical ATM. Then I had to admit I really don’t know. I can see RB’s ficus link in the leaves but nothing else I’m sad to say.

Wait till Bubba Louie sees your pic Bon. She loves IDing plants. I’ll be interested in what it turns out to be too.

Yes I thought White Cedar too, but the leaves are a bit too large all round?

I don’t think it’s White Cedar..the leaves don’t seem serrated enough (assuming that mine is a White Cedar, which I was told it was when it was given to me)

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p70/beaver_album/White-cedar.jpg

I saw a ficus yesterday at the nursery which was similar to yours Bon…can’t remember what the variety was though

It’s definitely not white cedar, based on that photo – the leaves are quite different. I think it’s big enough that there aren’t any issues of the leaves changing when it gets older etc.

To me it doesn’t look like the markings are caused by damage – they’re pretty consistent and it looks quite healthy. But I’ll have a closer look after work today.

What about weeping fig, ficus benjamina

http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/Hort/Hort332/images/plantlist/weeping%20fig.jpg

AnneS said:

What about weeping fig, ficus benjamina

http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/Hort/Hort332/images/plantlist/weeping%20fig.jpg

no, I have one of those and it is quite different. I do not think it is a fig at all.

I think the white markings will be standard to the plant, and of particular attention is the opposing branch structure.

I don’t know what it is though…

AnneS said:

What about weeping fig, ficus benjamina

http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/Hort/Hort332/images/plantlist/weeping%20fig.jpg

Don’t think so.. but I’m no expert :) I’ve seen a few ficuses around.. my instinct is that it isn’t a ficus. It’s extremely regimented/neat looking in the way the leaves come off the branches, and the branches come off the trunk.

Hmm.. what about Sophora japonica which is also “Chinese scholar tree” or “Japanese Pagoda Tree”?

Still flicking through Google Images results but if I find a really good photo I’ll link to it..

bon008 said:

Hmm.. what about Sophora japonica which is also “Chinese scholar tree” or “Japanese Pagoda Tree”?

Still flicking through Google Images results but if I find a really good photo I’ll link to it..

No.. don’t think that’s it after all.

bon008 said:

bon008 said:

Hmm.. what about Sophora japonica which is also “Chinese scholar tree” or “Japanese Pagoda Tree”?

Still flicking through Google Images results but if I find a really good photo I’ll link to it..

No.. don’t think that’s it after all.

I don’t think so either..the way the leaves grow is different. I at first thought it might be Chinese fig…but then changed my mind….I didn’t realise that ficus and mulberry are from the same family until I started trying to id this for you. So I looked up mulberries, but their leaves seem to have serrations similar to the white cedar, so that counts them out.

I’m of the opinion it’s a china doll

http://www.jardins-interieurs.com/v3/images/especes/radermachera.sinica.jpg

If it’s a cape lilac, be very careful the orange berries will pop up a new plant all over the place.

I’d say china doll. I had lone like that years ago. Sorry I’m late, just got home.

Muschee said:

I’m of the opinion it’s a china doll

http://www.jardins-interieurs.com/v3/images/especes/radermachera.sinica.jpg

If it’s a cape lilac, be very careful the orange berries will pop up a new plant all over the place.

Certainly looks like it

Muschee said:

I’m of the opinion it’s a china doll

http://www.jardins-interieurs.com/v3/images/especes/radermachera.sinica.jpg

If it’s a cape lilac, be very careful the orange berries will pop up a new plant all over the place.

Plus they’re poisonous.

China doll looks right to me!!

So, any tips anyone can give me would be greatly appreciated :) A quick Google suggests it could be a good indoor plant, which suits me as I hadn’t planned on having any new trees in the garden any time soon. I’ll hop on Wikipedia and do some more Googling around, but you guys are my most accurate source of local knowledge.. I’m sure HFB will tell me if it might be weedy :)

I’m thinking it is Radermachera sinica but the leaves are not 100% correct… these are sometimes called ficus trees and are grown as indoor plants along the same way as F. benjamina.

Yours looks a little leggy to me which suggests you are growing it in the dark, it should be a little more compact. If you plant it in the ground near a water supply, it will grow to 10metres in height…

pain master said:

I’m thinking it is Radermachera sinica but the leaves are not 100% correct… these are sometimes called ficus trees and are grown as indoor plants along the same way as F. benjamina.

Yours looks a little leggy to me which suggests you are growing it in the dark, it should be a little more compact. If you plant it in the ground near a water supply, it will grow to 10metres in height…

I’ve only had it for a couple of weeks :)

Definitely won’t be putting it in the ground. I think it will have to go into a larger pot though as the pot it is in looks TINY compared to how tall the tree is..

What would it need by way of pruning if I kept it indoors?

I’m not 100% convinced it’s a China Doll but it’s quite likely. I’ll try to get up to my old house this weekend if the owners are home and check the China Doll there for branch arrangement and striations on the trunk. I HAVE seen your plant before, just trying to remember where – it may well be our old China Doll I’m thinking of, and then I’ll feel like a right wally for being unsure.

If it is a China Doll, they are not weedy, way too easy to accidentally kill to be considered weedy! Plus I’ve never known them to self seed or sucker.

There is some good info on this page about how to care for them…
http://www.houseplantsforyou.com/china-doll/

Looks like Radermachia sinica to me too.
Asia bell, China doll. Whatever.
Good indoor plant, doesn’t like cold. Frost will kill it unless it’s a good size..
Doesn’t grow well indoors if the humidity is very low. Like if you have a Reverse cycle A/C it’ll suffer in Winter.
If it dries out it’ll drop all it’s branches and will regrow from the top when it gets a drink.
Can be cut off and will reshoot with multiple shoots.
I have one in the ground in my palm garden. It’s about 8m high, flowers in Summer i think.
Big flowers but not that flash as they’re way up in the canopy. Short lived flowers too.
The trunk at the base of mine is about 250mm.
Bark is quite attractive, rough, scaly and off white.
Ideal for a stag, elk or orchid to grow on.

You beauty!!! thanks HFB, Longy, PM and everyone else who has helped :)

Chinese Bell Tree sounded familar to the friend who gave it to me so I’m pretty sure Radermachera Sinica is it :)

This is from the page Horty linked to:

“China Dolls prefer to be somewhat root bound, so be really careful about re-potting it. It’s a plant that doesn’t like change very much either and re-potting it, moving it to another area or drafts may cause major leaf loss.”

Hmmmmmmm.. wonder if I should re-pot it or not then!! It is definitely very rootbound in the pot it is in – I tried to drive in a dripper spike and I couldn’t get it in more than an inch or so..

bon008 said:

This is from the page Horty linked to:

“China Dolls prefer to be somewhat root bound, so be really careful about re-potting it. It’s a plant that doesn’t like change very much either and re-potting it, moving it to another area or drafts may cause major leaf loss.”

Hmmmmmmm.. wonder if I should re-pot it or not then!! It is definitely very rootbound in the pot it is in – I tried to drive in a dripper spike and I couldn’t get it in more than an inch or so..

It looks really healthy Bon. Any i have had always dry out at some point and drop their limbs basically overnight. I’ve had them as high as your with no branches, like the one i planted in the ground. It was about 2m high and had dried out so many times, it had dropped all it’s branches. If they are in a really small pot, they dry out really quickly because their leaf area is pretty big.
Like i said tho’, they will handle a serious haircut and will branch multiple shoots, so you can’t really lose.
Even if they drop all their branches, you just hit ‘em with the secateurs, if you want a single trunk, just select the one you want to keep and cut the others off. They really are quite bullet proof but do drop everything at the slightest stress.

Longy said:

bon008 said:

This is from the page Horty linked to:

“China Dolls prefer to be somewhat root bound, so be really careful about re-potting it. It’s a plant that doesn’t like change very much either and re-potting it, moving it to another area or drafts may cause major leaf loss.”

Hmmmmmmm.. wonder if I should re-pot it or not then!! It is definitely very rootbound in the pot it is in – I tried to drive in a dripper spike and I couldn’t get it in more than an inch or so..

It looks really healthy Bon. Any i have had always dry out at some point and drop their limbs basically overnight. I’ve had them as high as your with no branches, like the one i planted in the ground. It was about 2m high and had dried out so many times, it had dropped all it’s branches. If they are in a really small pot, they dry out really quickly because their leaf area is pretty big.
Like i said tho’, they will handle a serious haircut and will branch multiple shoots, so you can’t really lose.
Even if they drop all their branches, you just hit ‘em with the secateurs, if you want a single trunk, just select the one you want to keep and cut the others off. They really are quite bullet proof but do drop everything at the slightest stress.

ROFL – this does not sound like the kind of plant I would pick out for myself – given the reason that we have no house plants at the moment is that all the ones we inherited died :D Will give it a go though!

ROFL – this does not sound like the kind of plant I would pick out for myself – given the reason that we have no house plants at the moment is that all the ones we inherited died :D Will give it a go though!
++++++++++++++++++++++
Yeah i reckon they’re a pain in the neck as a house plant, because they do go straight into drop mode if they run out of moisture.
This is less likely to happen if they have a decent sized pot, so i’d be inclined to go up a size if it’s really rootbound.

Longy said:

ROFL – this does not sound like the kind of plant I would pick out for myself – given the reason that we have no house plants at the moment is that all the ones we inherited died :D Will give it a go though!
++++++++++++++++++++++
Yeah i reckon they’re a pain in the neck as a house plant, because they do go straight into drop mode if they run out of moisture.
This is less likely to happen if they have a decent sized pot, so i’d be inclined to go up a size if it’s really rootbound.

Excellent, thank you :)

Maybe this will give me an excuse to buy a ridiculous, unnecessary gizmo like this:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/electronic/a410/

:D

Maybe this will give me an excuse to buy a ridiculous, unnecessary gizmo like this:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/electronic/a410/

+++++++++++++++
Oh dear. No. I don’t think there are many things which would justify such a contraption.
How’s about when the sun comes up, you use that as a reminder, and increase the water volumes according to the season:-)

Oh I do like a good plant ID thread myself…

Longy said:

Oh dear. No. I don’t think there are many things which would justify such a contraption.
How’s about when the sun comes up, you use that as a reminder, and increase the water volumes according to the season:-)

I can see that failing… but we’ll try :D

Now, another question. What do people think of those self-watering pots, with the little reservoir at the bottom?

I have a couple of these spare so could put the China Doll in one.. but is that a good idea? Do you risk giving the plant root rot?

Hi Bon

I use these for plants that need water constantly as I am inclined to not water until the plant has wilted over the edge of the pot…therefore I use them for my herbs…

With the canetoad problem that we have, not to mention the mosquitoes (dengue, anyone?) I fill the water tray with sand or sandy loam…this cuts down the breeding grounds…

Also, I use a layer of charchoal along the bottom of the planter …this is just me, I believe it helps stop the soil in the planter from going sour …the bottom of the planter being the part which has the soil and plants…

I am planning to re-use a currently empty one for the mint..I am to mint what Lucky is to rhubarb…sob

Dinetta said:

Hi Bon

I use these for plants that need water constantly as I am inclined to not water until the plant has wilted over the edge of the pot…therefore I use them for my herbs…

With the canetoad problem that we have, not to mention the mosquitoes (dengue, anyone?) I fill the water tray with sand or sandy loam…this cuts down the breeding grounds…

Also, I use a layer of charchoal along the bottom of the planter …this is just me, I believe it helps stop the soil in the planter from going sour …the bottom of the planter being the part which has the soil and plants…

Thanks Dinetta. My watering habits are the same :) Good tip with the sand. However I thought for these pots to work, you had to push the potting mix right to the bottom of the pot, so the water can be sucked up when the soil dries out.. wouldn’t having charcoal at the bottom interfere with that process?

bon008 said:

Longy said:

Oh dear. No. I don’t think there are many things which would justify such a contraption.
How’s about when the sun comes up, you use that as a reminder, and increase the water volumes according to the season:-)

I can see that failing… but we’ll try :D

Now, another question. What do people think of those self-watering pots, with the little reservoir at the bottom?

I have a couple of these spare so could put the China Doll in one.. but is that a good idea? Do you risk giving the plant root rot?

Hey Bon I personally don’t like those pots…except for something that really likes to be a bit waterlogged…mint, as an example. Yep I rekon Mozzies are also another factor and I also think plants tend to grow more spindley in this sort of pot.
I think my biggest issue with them would be the mozzies, we already got enough, why would you want to breed more of the little buggers.

There’s those with a “plug” built-in, down the middle and into the water tray…you’re supposed to fill this with potting mix and it acts like a wick…but I use sand or sandy loam…

Think I will stick with a normal pot, and just try to reform my bad (non)watering habits. Will also rope Mr Bon into some responsibility .

bon008 said:

Longy said:

ROFL – this does not sound like the kind of plant I would pick out for myself – given the reason that we have no house plants at the moment is that all the ones we inherited died :D Will give it a go though!
++++++++++++++++++++++
Yeah i reckon they’re a pain in the neck as a house plant, because they do go straight into drop mode if they run out of moisture.
This is less likely to happen if they have a decent sized pot, so i’d be inclined to go up a size if it’s really rootbound.

Excellent, thank you :)

Maybe this will give me an excuse to buy a ridiculous, unnecessary gizmo like this:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/electronic/a410/

:D

That would be good until the batteries ran out…

bon008 said:

Longy said:

Oh dear. No. I don’t think there are many things which would justify such a contraption.
How’s about when the sun comes up, you use that as a reminder, and increase the water volumes according to the season:-)

I can see that failing… but we’ll try :D

Now, another question. What do people think of those self-watering pots, with the little reservoir at the bottom?

I have a couple of these spare so could put the China Doll in one.. but is that a good idea? Do you risk giving the plant root rot?

I’m not a big fan of them Bon. Everything I’ve ever tried in them has thrived short term and then just keeled over and died as soon as the roots grew enough to get into the water reservoir at the bottom. I got rid of the few I had years ago. The China Doll doesn’t like sitting in water either so in particular I’d avoid the self watering pots for that.

Dinetta said:

I am planning to re-use a currently empty one for the mint..I am to mint what Lucky is to rhubarb…sob

I just have my mint in a big pot in decent potting mix in a semi shaded position, watered every day in summer and eased off to every second day a couple of weeks ago. In the old place it was in a smaller terracotta pot half buried in the ground, but it kept growing over the sides of the pot so I figured it wanted a bit more space and gave it some. I trim it fairly regularly so it doesn’t go all woody and horrible. I’ve never had any problems with mint.

Dinetta said:

There’s those with a “plug” built-in, down the middle and into the water tray…you’re supposed to fill this with potting mix and it acts like a wick…but I use sand or sandy loam…

That’s the sort I had that killed everything I put in it.

Even a maidenhair fern turned up it’s toes after looking fabulous for the first month or two…but then I suspect maidenhair ferns may be my rhubarb. :D

bon008 said:

Think I will stick with a normal pot, and just try to reform my bad (non)watering habits. Will also rope Mr Bon into some responsibility .

That can be dangerous, if you end up BOTH watering it, not realising the other already has. You could limit his responsibility to reminding you?
Or print out a chart or buy a small calendar, keep a pen near it and tick off the day when you water.
I have a schedule printed out for Kuga’s pills, and I write the time I gave him his pill so I know when to feed them, and never have that awful “Did I give him his pill or not?” feeling. Having given him his pill twice a day for over three years I don’t actually need the schedule any more because the process of checking the time and working out what time that means they’ll get their dinner means I KNOW I’ve given him his pill! But I still just record it out of habit.

Well I’m glad you worked it out.

This type of plant would simply die here.
I keep no plants indoors.

Orhids are ok to bring in for a couple of weeks during flower but other than that I’m no indoor gardener.

hortfurball said:

bon008 said:

Think I will stick with a normal pot, and just try to reform my bad (non)watering habits. Will also rope Mr Bon into some responsibility .

That can be dangerous, if you end up BOTH watering it, not realising the other already has. You could limit his responsibility to reminding you?
Or print out a chart or buy a small calendar, keep a pen near it and tick off the day when you water.
I have a schedule printed out for Kuga’s pills, and I write the time I gave him his pill so I know when to feed them, and never have that awful “Did I give him his pill or not?” feeling. Having given him his pill twice a day for over three years I don’t actually need the schedule any more because the process of checking the time and working out what time that means they’ll get their dinner means I KNOW I’ve given him his pill! But I still just record it out of habit.

Nono, I mean I will teach him the “stick the finger int he soil” method.. not just water without checking.

bon008 said:

Nono, I mean I will teach him the “stick the finger int he soil” method.. not just water without checking.

Oops sorry. :)

I have confirmation it’s a China Doll. Looked at them today.