Engkala hardiness

[jez251]

Does anyone know the hardiness of the engkala plant?  My seedlings are showing some serious leaf burn but I didn't think they were that sensitive to cool weather. 

Thanks,
Jaime

[red durian]

I have one source saying it is ultra tropical, but it certainly doesn't need every night over 75 F like Borneo because Oscar has them fruiting a few hundred feet up in Hawaii.  Another source says they are distributed up to Taiwan.  I think even the warmest part of Taiwan is colder than Oscar's place in Hawaii.  I hope I will be able to grow them in Belize which gets some cool nights in the winter.

[BMc]

There is one growing here. Its big. Unfortunately the male did not make it and I doubt the solitary female will fruit alone.
I think you should think of it as tropical, but if you want to push the zonal limits, it can be done, but it wont be easy.

[luc]

Doing very well at 20 degrees north 300 meters above sea level , winter nights 7 Celsius . Since I have only one ( found out too late I needed male and female ) I have been neglecting this tree ( 4 meters now ) ....does well even with very little watering.

[tabbydan]

Mine seem to be very tender.... sadly easy to kill.

[fruitlovers]

I have one source saying it is ultra tropical, but it certainly doesn't need every night over 75 F like Borneo because Oscar has them fruiting a few hundred feet up in Hawaii.  Another source says they are distributed up to Taiwan.  I think even the warmest part of Taiwan is colder than Oscar's place in Hawaii.  I hope I will be able to grow them in Belize which gets some cool nights in the winter.

The fruiting tree i have is at sea level. The ones i have at my higher property have not fruited yet. I seem to recall someone posting that the engkala is not ultra tropical, but forget who and where that person was?

[tabbydan]

I have one source saying it is ultra tropical, but it certainly doesn't need every night over 75 F like Borneo because Oscar has them fruiting a few hundred feet up in Hawaii.  Another source says they are distributed up to Taiwan.  I think even the warmest part of Taiwan is colder than Oscar's place in Hawaii.  I hope I will be able to grow them in Belize which gets some cool nights in the winter.

In terms of Taiwan... there are some trees in Beitou (I think that's the town, its reachable by an extension of the train system from Taipei) that are planted around a small temple in a small park.  When I went there one summer the group of trees that grew in a septic field were fruiting.  They also had Pachira glabra in that same park.

Taipei low temps in winter are in the 40's.  Beitou might be slightly warmer (as there is a hot spring in the town)

The young seedlings are very tender though.

[BMc]

Beitou? Is it east of Taipei? Beitun is near Taichung and I'm familiar with general geography there. Its pretty cool. I'd imagine if its near either of those two big cities they would do much better in the south, around Taitung

[tabbydan]

Beitou? Is it east of Taipei? Beitun is near Taichung and I'm familiar with general geography there. Its pretty cool. I'd imagine if its near either of those two big cities they would do much better in the south, around Taitung

Yes, you have the right spelling.
Yes, Beitou is east of Taipei.
You can take the Taipei metro and then switch onto a train to Beitou.

Beitou is famous for its hot spring.
The park with the Engkala is really a very insignificant park with a small temple and the Engkala trees are planted on three sides of the temple.

[Recher]

growing great for me in warm subtropics and i am a lot colder than oscar and borneo.

definitely not an ultra tropical.

flowered last year. love the robust leaves

[tabbydan]

I think they aren't "ultra-tropical" temp wise but probably I think the young seedlings have a very hard time with cool dry air.

When Northern Taiwan hits 40F at times in the winter it is also rather wet...