Identification

• Cochlospermum are native trees of the tropics identified in 1822. Buttercup tree (Cochlospermum vitifolium) is a tree in this genus. Buttercup tree is also referred to as yellow silk cotton.
  
  

Description

• Buttercup tree is deciduous and grows to a mature height of about 33 feet. The tree starts to bloom at an early age with buttercup-like, large, bright-yellow flowers. The single or double flowers persist for nearly three months. Buttercup tree has toothed, lobed, 12-inch-wide foliage.
  
  

Cultural Requirements

• Buttercup trees grow easily in a wide range of well-drained soils including poorly-fertile and rocky ground. Established trees are low-maintenance. Propagate with cuttings or seed. Trees that bloom with double flowers propagate better with the use of cuttings, as cited by Mark Stebbins in Flowering Trees of Florida (1999).