African Tulip Tree
by Sharon Mau
Title
African Tulip Tree
Artist
Sharon Mau
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
They are beautiful but these trees are introduced, they are not indigenous to Hawaii and they are invasive. The blooms also appear in yellow. The trees are large, growing well over 80 feet high. The African Tulip Tree was introduced to Singapore in the 1910's from Africa, probably as a decorative shade tree because of their beautiful red/orange tulip-like flowers. The flower buds form a ball-shaped cluster. Each brown banana-shaped flower bud is filled with water, forming a natural water pistol when squeezed. The outer buds bloom first before the inner ones. The tree blooms year round and a flower lasts about 3 days. The ripe pods split open into a woody, boat-shaped form. Children use them in boat races, by placing the opened pods in a fast flowing stream
Leaves: Simple pinnate compound, 30-40 cm long, about 7 pairs of leaflets. Leaves are slightly hairy, shiny above.
Flowers: Large, showy, red orange or yellow colours.
Fruits: Long (20 cm) green pods, when ripe turn brown and is filled with lots of small seeds with transparent wings. Close-up of flowering cluster
close-up of unripe pods
Classification: Family Bignoniaceae.
Uses: In West Africa, their homeland, the wood is used to make drums and blacksmith's bellows. It has shallow roots and a tendency for branches to break off in a storm. Thus it considered unsuitable as a roadside tree.
The flowers provide nectar for birds which may pollinate the tree. The seedlings germinate rapidly and the tree grows quickly.
Spathodea is a monotypic genus in the flowering plant family Bignoniaceae. The single species it contains, Spathodea campanulata, is commonly known as the Fountain Tree, African Tulip Tree, Flame-of-the-forest, Rudra Palash, Pichkari or Nandi Flame.
The Nandi Flame is sometimes used by the local tribes of Kenya as ornamental accessories... and as disinfectant.
The generic name comes from the Ancient Greek words σπαθη (spathe) and οιδα (oida), referring to the spathe-like calyx.
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Uploaded
June 30th, 2010
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