Other Names:  False Ashoka, Buddha Tree, syn. Monoon longifolium

Description:

A tall, attractive columnar tree with a straight trunk, and short, weeping branches with linear, pendant leaves; foliage emerges copper, maturing to glossy dark green; purple fruits appear in fall; an exotic landscape or patio pot accent

Ornamental Features

Columnar Mast Tree is primarily valued in the landscape for its rigidly columnar form. It has attractive forest green foliage with hints of lime green which emerges coppery-bronze in spring. The crinkled narrow leaves are highly ornamental and remain forest green throughout the winter. The fruits are showy deep purple drupes displayed from late summer to mid fall.

Landscape Attributes

Columnar Mast Tree is an evergreen tropical plant with a strong central leader and a narrowly upright and columnar growth habit. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance tropical plant, and can be pruned at anytime. It is a good choice for attracting birds and butterflies to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Columnar Mast Tree is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Vertical Accent
• Hedges/Screening
• Windbreaks and Shelterbelts
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

This plant is native to the tropics and prefers growing in moist environments with evenly warm conditions all year round. In our climate, it is usually grown as an outdoor annual in the garden or in a container. If you want it to survive the winter, it can be brought in to the house and provided with special care, and then returned to the garden the following season. In its preferred tropical habitat, as a tree it can grow to be around 30 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 5 feet. However, when grown as an annual or when overwintered indoors, it can be expected to perform quite differently, and its exact height and spread will depend on many factors; you may wish to consult with our experts as to how it might perform in your specific application and growing conditions.

This tropical plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. This plant should not require much in the way of fertilizing once established, although it may appreciate a shot of general-purpose fertilizer from time to time early in the growing season. It is particular about its soil conditions, with a strong preference for sandy, acidic soils, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

Columnar Mast Tree is a fine choice for the yard, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Its large size and upright habit of growth lend it for use as a solitary accent, or in a composition surrounded by smaller plants around the base and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.

-- THIS IS A TROPICAL PLANT AND SHOULD NOT BE EXPECTED TO SURVIVE THE WINTER OUTDOORS IN OUR CLIMATE --