Dombeya wallichii is a flowering shrub of the family Malvaceae known by the common names pinkball, pink ball tree, and tropical hydrangea.[2]

Dombeya wallichii
Inflorescence
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae
Genus: Dombeya
Species:
D. wallichii
Binomial name
Dombeya wallichii
(Lindl.) Benth. ex Baill. (1885)
Synonyms[1]
  • Assonia wallichii (Lindl.) Kuntze (1891)
  • Astrapaea penduliflora DC. (1828)
  • Astrapaea speciosa F.Dietr. (1825)
  • Astrapaea wallichii Lindl. (1821)
  • Dombeya penduliflora (DC.) M.Gómez (1890)
  • Dombeya speciosa A.Dietr. ex Salomon (1880), nom. superfl.

Description

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The plant can grow 20[3] to 30[2] feet tall and has a spread of up to 25 feet. The alternately arranged leaves are heart-shaped with serrated edges. The hanging flower clusters are pink, showy,[3] and fragrant.[2]

Range and habitat

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It is native to eastern Madagascar.[1] Its natural distribution isn't well understood, but wild specimens were collected from two coastal streamside locations on the eastern coast of Madagascar – at Antalaha on the northeastern coast, and at Mandena on the southeastern coast.[4]

It has been introduced by humans to Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Marianas, Mauritius, southwestern Mexico, Réunion, Thailand, and the Windward Islands, where it has naturalized.[1]

Cultivation

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Dombeya wallichii is grown widely as a garden plant.

This species can be crossed with Dombeya burgessiae to produce the hybrid Dombeya × cayeuxii.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Dombeya wallichii (Lindl.) Benth. ex Baill. Plants of the World Online, Kew Science. Accessed 26 June 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d Carter, K. Tropical Hydrangea: Dombeya wallichi. Center for Landscape and Urban Horticulture. University of California Cooperative Extension, Central Coast & South Region.
  3. ^ a b Gilman, E. F. and D. G. Watson. Dombeya wallichii: Pinkball. Document ENH391. Environmental Horticulture, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Published 1993. Revised 2006.
  4. ^ Skema, C. (2014). Reevaluation of Species Delimitations in Dombeya Section Hilsenbergia (Dombeyaceae). Systematic Botany, 39(2), 541–562. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24546163