Shaving Brush Tree (Pseudobombax ellipticum): Spectacular Spring Bloomer

Overview

The Shaving Brush Tree (Pseudobombax ellipticum, syn. Bombax ellipticum) is a deciduous, bottle-trunked tree from Mexico and Central America. Its most spectacular feature is the mass of huge, brush-like flowers that appear on bare branches in spring: thousands of long, curly pink or white stamens resembling a shaving brush. The large, digitately compound leaves emerge after flowering. The trunk is green, photosynthetic, and swollen at the base for water storage. A stunning ornamental for frost-free gardens, it attracts bats, birds, and bees.

Key Features

• Flowers: Massive, brush-like; pink or white stamens; 4–5 in; spring on bare wood.
• Trunk: Green, smooth, swollen (caudiciform); photosynthetic.
• Leaves: Digitate, 5–7 leaflets; deciduous in dry season.
• Form: Spreading tree to 30–50 ft in habitat; smaller in cultivation.

Care Guidelines

Light

Full sun.

Water

Regular in growing season; keep dry during winter dormancy (leafless).

Soil

Well-drained, fertile soil.

Hardiness

USDA zones 10–11. Frost tender; protect young trees.

Taxonomy

Family:	Bombacaceae
Genus:	Pseudobombax (soo-doh-BOM-baks)
Species:	ellipticum (ee-LIP-tih-kum)
Synonym:	Bombax ellipticum