Crinodendron, the lantern tree

Crinodendron has a beautiful summer blooming that’s a true enchantment in gardens.

Key Crinodendron facts

Name – Crinodendron hookerianum
Family – Elaeocarpaceae
Type – shrub

Height – 6-32 feet (2-10 m) (variety)
Exposure – part sun, sun

Soil: rich enough – Foliage: evergreen – Flowering: late spring to mid-summer

• Read also: Abutilon, the other lantern tree

Caring for this plant, from planting to pruning, will increase growth of your crinodendron and appearance of flowers.

Planting crinodendron

Crinodendron loves sun-covered spots, but it doesn’t like it when it gets too hot. In that case, favor part sun.

It is best to plant in spring because the crinodendron is vulnerable to strong frost spells.

• A young specimen will be even more vulnerable, which is why it’s better to plant specimens that have already grown somewhat.

For areas that have a rather mild winter, you can plant in fall.

• Refer to our guidelines for planting shrubs.

Crinodendron in pots

For Crinodendron grown in pots or garden boxes, remember to bring it under shelter in winter, especially if temperatures routinely fall below 23°F (-5°C).

Indeed, under 23°F (-5°C), crinodendron probably won’t survive.

• Prepare a blend with two parts soil mix and one part heath.
• Prune your potted crinodendron every year at the end of winter before bringing it back out.

Pruning and caring for crinodendron

It isn’t necessary to prune the plant. Nonetheless, if you wish to balance the shape or reduce the size of its branches, wait for blooming to be over.

Water regularly as it flowers, but not too much and possibly provide organic fertilizer to stimulate the opening of cute flowers.

Learn more about crinodendron

A very beautiful shrub native to Latin America, crinodendron bears magnificent and unique fuchsia pink flowers.

In Chili, it’s also called the Lantern tree; that’s where the common name comes from.

Its bushy bearing, long thin leaves and lantern-shaped flowers make it a very ornamental shrub.

Abundant blooms appear from late spring to almost the end of summer. In certain climates it can even start mid-spring (April) and end in early fall (September).

Quite a hardy fellow, it can survive freezing very well, easily coping with temperatures as low as 14°F (-10°C).

Leafage is somewhat thick and leathery, like many other heath plants like azalea, camellia and rhododendron. And in the same vein, its growth is generally considered rather slow.