Friday, July 9, 2010

The African Tulip Tree, Spathodea Campanulata

Rather than watch the weirdness that is Alice in Wonderland, I thought I would tell you about the African Tulip Tree.


It is very beautiful. Breath-taking, really.

As Chris and I were walking through Aloha 'Aina park the first day here, he picked up one of the canoes that fall off the tree.


I was busy looking at something else, and did not notice the beautiful flowers that grow on the tree. The following day, as I walked through Aloha 'Aina alone, I noticed the orange flowers first and was then surprised to see the boat was from the same tree!


The boats release the seeds that apparently immediately take root upon touching ground and thus the tree is considered aggressively invasive...

The interesting thing about this tree is that it is very tall, and the flowers always point up, so I was unable to get a photo of the inside.


Whether you consider it a flower, a tree or a weed, I think it is stunning. (But then again, I always loved dandelions too!)

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