Ashoka tree

Saraca asoca

Small Indian rainforest tree with elegant drooping compound leaves and dense rounded clusters of intensely fragrant orange-red flowers that open yellow and age to red over a day or two.

Hardiness ratings

Ashoka tree hardiness across the four zone systems
SystemRatingTemperature rangeHow to read it
USDA hardiness zone Zone 10–12 −1.1 °C to 15.6 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
RHS hardiness rating H1c 5 °C to 10 °C Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance
Canadian plant hardiness zone Zone 9 −1 °C and warmer Plant tolerates down to this zone
Australian (ANBG) zone Zone 5–7 5 °C and warmer Plant tolerates down to this zone

Growing notes

  • Native to South Asian rainforest — Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka
  • Sacred tree in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism — Buddha was said to have been born under one, often planted in temple gardens
  • WARNING: IUCN listed as Vulnerable in the wild — habitat loss and over-collection for medicinal bark, source only nursery-propagated plants
  • Strictly tropical — frost-tender, demands warm humid conditions
  • Not reliably hardy outdoors in Canada — Canadian zone values shown represent the system maximum and do not imply garden cultivation north of the warmest coastal pockets.

Categories

Related plants

Cross-check Ashoka tree against your zones

Reference

Ashoka tree on Wikipedia