Brazilian Rain Tree and Texas Ebony?

mage973 · 05-11-2011, 05:33 PM

These are supposed to be a Brazilian Rain Tree(left) and Texas ebony (right) but the seller (mistakenly?) labeled them both Texas Ebony.

-The tree on the left is in a 4 inch pot and possibly a few years older than the other. I've read that BRT trunks flatten or become ovoid with age but this one is round. This tree has dangling branches and 1 inch thorns

-The one on the right in a 3 inch pot has short woody branches and 1/4 inch thorns. Some of it's leaves are dark reddish like red edged lettuce, and are giving off a slight unpleasant odor.

I can't tell if they are the same tree with a few years difference in age that were pruned and trained differently or two different trees.

So... is the one on the left a Brazilian Rain Tree? or an older Texas Ebony?

They opened up today for the last two pics!

JLDoggett · 05-12-2011, 10:57 AM

Thy both lok like Texas Ebony to me...

treebeard55 · 05-12-2011, 12:56 PM

BRT and TE are similar enough that they were classified in the same genus until recently.

artyanimal · 05-29-2011, 06:56 AM

Well Mage973,

The thorns are the key at this early stage and in this instance which, you already seem to have worked out. The one commonly called BRT (aka: Pithecellobium tortum) has the 1" thorns while the TE (Pithecellobium flexicaule) produces same at about 1/4".

For what its worth (if it matters), I doubt that either tree is more than 3 or 4 seasons old. This makes the possibility that either one is "a few years older" fairly unlikely. In truth, they are both just barely able to qualify as having even been in existence for an entire "few years" at all.

In any event, the most important thing is that they both appear to be nice healthy trees! I wish you luck with your new additions.

Cheers,

Arty

05-12-2011, 10:57 AM	#2 (permalink)
JLDoggett Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: New Hampshire, USA, Posts: 641	Thy both lok like Texas Ebony to me... __________________ "Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant with the weak and wrong....because sometime in your life you will have been all of these" And I further resolve to click on an ad, each time I visit, to help support the site and to be welcoming to lurking guests when you join! After all, you're already here.

05-12-2011, 12:56 PM	#3 (permalink)
treebeard55 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Warsaw IN, USA USDA zone 5b Posts: 511	BRT and TE are similar enough that they were classified in the same genus until recently. __________________ Treebeard 55 Steve Moore http://hoosierbonsai.blogspot.com The most important bonsai tool is your brain.

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05-29-2011, 06:56 AM	#4 (permalink)
artyanimal Snipologist Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Mid-coast Maine / Zone 5 and S. Florida / Zone 10 Posts: 89	Well Mage973, The thorns are the key at this early stage and in this instance which, you already seem to have worked out. The one commonly called BRT (aka: Pithecellobium tortum) has the 1" thorns while the TE (Pithecellobium flexicaule) produces same at about 1/4". For what its worth (if it matters), I doubt that either tree is more than 3 or 4 seasons old. This makes the possibility that either one is "a few years older" fairly unlikely. In truth, they are both just barely able to qualify as having even been in existence for an entire "few years" at all. In any event, the most important thing is that they both appear to be nice healthy trees! I wish you luck with your new additions. Cheers, Arty

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