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Yellow mai

Ochna integerrima

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Yellow mai · Ochna integerrima

Five-petalled yellow flowers bloom at Tết in southern and central Vietnam.

Care and placement

Needs full sun (6–8 hours, minimum 4–6), nutrient-rich well-drained soil and moderate watering; cold-sensitive below about 4 °C; leaves are stripped late in the lunar year to flower for Tết.

Draft mature dimensions

Maximum height (cm): 400 cm · Maximum spread (cm): 300 cm

Things to consider

There is no official toxicity rating for this plant, so it is not claimed safe or toxic. Take care: do not eat it or use it as medicine, wear gloves and wash hands after pruning, and keep children and pets from chewing it.

Unknown evidence does not mean safe. Decorative plants are not automatically edible.

Information is compiled from multiple reputable sources for reference. If you spot an error, please contact us so we can check and update it.

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How to grow and care for it

  1. Planting and pot

    Plant in sun in well-drained, nutrient-rich soil at pH about 5.6–7.5; it does not tolerate waterlogging. Use a large pot with drainage holes if potted; keep airflow to avoid fungus.

  2. Light

    Full sun for the most flowers (6–8 hours; some sources 4–6), tolerating part shade. Frost below about 4 °C damages it.

  3. Watering

    Water moderately: let the soil surface dry slightly before watering again; avoid waterlogging. Pots need regular watering.

  4. Feeding

    Feed sparingly: slow-release in early spring, or three times a year a few cm from the base; avoid cheap salty fertilizers that damage roots. Before Tết a bud-boosting feed can be used.

  5. Pruning

    Prune after flowering to keep shape and pinch tips for branching. After Tết prune before the 15th of the first lunar month: cut about a third of branches or trim the upper ones shorter than the lower. Strip leaves at the end of the 11th lunar month to push buds; water regularly after stripping.

  6. Propagation

    Mainly from seed; semi-hardened cuttings or tissue culture also work. Seed-grown plants take some years to flower.

  7. Pests and common problems

    Aphids, mealybugs, scale, whiteflies and thrips: insecticidal soap or neem oil. Powdery mildew and root rot: airflow and no waterlogging.

  8. For more flowers

    To bloom for Tết: enough sun, light on-schedule feeding, pruning after the season, correctly timed leaf stripping and steady moisture; if buds have not started by the 25th of the 12th lunar month, warm water of 30–40 °C can be used. Five-petalled yellow flowers peak around Tết.