Dichrostachys Species, Bell Mimosa, Chinese Lantern Tree, Kalahari Christmas Tree, Princess Earrings

i got a small start from a dg member maybe 4 or 5 yrs. ago. that winter we had freezing cold temps for days and nights on end and i lost...Read More it.
i saw that someone on dg had a rooting cutting to trade about a year ago so i thought i'd try it again. we had a mild winter and i kept it wrapped up on frosty nights just to be sure. it's growing like crazy and it is now over my head. it started blooming a few weeks ago. the blooms aren't big but they are definitely different.
i planted it in a huge, bottomless pot and it is situated between two hardy evergreen plants for protection.
the thorns are wicked!

I absolutely fell in love with the first picture I ever saw of one of these and HAD to find one! I purchased a tiny tree seedling, after...Read More hunting for two years. It is a very fast grower and bloomed for me the first summer. The blooms are gorgeous and have a faint fragrance reminiscent of regular mimosa, but a little bit their own. They stay in bloom for 4-6 weeks in midsummer, and then produce neat, quirky pods. They are said to become invasive and spread by suckers, so best kept in a container. I have mine in a large 25 gallon tree pot, but great bonsai subject for even very small containers! Very rare in US cultivation. They are great for xeriscape situations, and are even fire resistant. They attract butterflies and hummingbirds. This is one of my all-time very favorite plant acquisitions.