Mast Tree (False Ashoka)

About the Mast Tree (False Ashoka)

The mast tree, also known as false ashoka, is prized for its tall, slender, column-like shape and long, glossy, wavy-edged leaves that hang down like a green curtain. Narrow enough to plant in rows, it makes an elegant living screen, windbreak or avenue tree, and reduces noise and dust along boundaries. New growth emerges a soft copper-bronze before turning deep green. In spring it carries delicate, star-shaped pale-green flowers. It handles heat well and adapts to warm gardens across much of Mexico. Grown on our farms in Yucatán and Chiapas and shipped via DHL.

How to Care for It

Plant in full sun in fertile, well-drained soil. Water regularly while young; once established it tolerates short dry spells but looks best with steady moisture. Feed with a balanced fertiliser two or three times a year during establishment. Protect young trees from frost. For screens, plant about 2–3 m apart. Little pruning is needed; remove lower dead leaves and any competing leaders.

Trees that shape a garden: the purple spring haze of jacaranda, fragrant magnolia and the slim, columnar mast tree, ideal for privacy screens and formal entrances. Grown on our farms and shipped by DHL.

Growing Profile

Botanical name

Monoon longifolium (syn. Polyalthia longifolia)

Family

Annonaceae

Native to

India and Sri Lanka

Mature height

10–15 m

Plant spacing

3 m

Time to first flowers

4–6 years

Light

Full sun

Water

Moderate

Cold tolerance

down to 0 °C

Best climates

Humid tropics, Dry tropics, Subtropical

Grows in a pot

Best in the ground

Ships from

Our farms in Yucatán & Chiapas