Spathodea

Spathodea campanulata

''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, Pichkari or Nandi Flame. The tree grows between 7–25 m tall and is native to tropical dry forests of Africa. It has been nominated as among 100 of the "World's Worst" invaders.

This tree is planted extensively as an ornamental tree throughout the tropics and is much appreciated for its very showy reddish-orange or crimson , campanulate flowers. The generic name comes from the Ancient Greek words σπαθη and οιδα , referring to the spathe-like calyx. It was discovered in 1787 on the Gold Coast of Africa.
Load, Aim, and Splash! Spathodea Campanulata - "Fountain Tree" AKA "African Tulip Tree" AKA "Pichkari" or "Nandi Flame" We call this tree "Neerukayi mara" in Kannada, which roughly translates to "waterbud tree" or "piss-bud tree" (because we sprayed water on other kids shorts / pants to make it look like they pissed their pants) - quite a literal meaning! The flowers of this tree emerge from the very same buds that carry water inside of them, and it attracts birds by storing water and dew drops inside of it before it completely blossoms. This tree is a major part of my childhood memories. As children, the buds from this tree as seen in the picture above used to be our water gun. We used to pinch open the front portion of the bud and press the bud with full force to squirt a jet of water to other kids. Smaller size buds contain more amount of water content in them, than the larger ones. Total fun, and a great past time! Of-course the tree is more than just a source of entertainment to a bunch of kids. Here are some of its known uses: As Food - The seeds are edible and used in many parts of Africa. As Timber - In its original habitat, the soft, light brownish-white wood is used for carving and making drums. As Poison - The hard central portion of the fruit is used to kill animals. As Medicine - The bark has laxative and antiseptic properties, and the seeds, flowers and roots are used as medicine. The bark is chewed and sprayed over swollen cheeks. The bark may also be boiled in water used for bathing newly born babies to heal body rashes. Unfortunately, the population spike in the city and ever increasing need for more space to build houses, roads, and vehicle parking lots, have made them go almost extinct, except in some places where the trees are protected. It is never easy to watch the memories getting massacred at this rate. Geotagged,India,Spathodea,Spathodea campanulata,african tulip tree,bangalore,fountain tree,karnataka,nandi flame,neerukayi mara,pichkari

Appearance

The flower bud is ampule-shaped and contains water. These buds are often used by children who play with its ability to squirt the water. The sap sometimes stains yellow on fingers and clothes. The open flowers are cup-shaped and hold rain and dew, making them attractive to many species of birds.
Spathodea campanulata Tangkoko, Sulawesi. Nice canopy flowers. Geotagged,Indonesia,Spathodea,Spathodea campanulata,Spring

Naming

In Neotropical gardens and parks, their nectar is popular with many hummingbirds, such as the Black-throated Mango , the Black Jacobin , or the Gilded Hummingbird . The wood of the tree is soft and is used for nesting by many hole-building birds such as barbets.*Afrikaans: fakkelboom, Afrika-vlamboom
⤷ Kannada: Neerukayi mara
⤷ English: African tulip tree, flame of the forest, fountain tree, Nandi flame, Nile flame, squirt tree, tulip tree, Uganda flame
⤷ French: immortel étranger
⤷ Hindi: rugtoora
⤷ Luganda: kifabakazi
⤷ Malay: panchut-panchut
⤷ Sinhala: kudaella gaha, kudulu
⤷ Spanish: amapola, espatodea, mampolo, tulipán africano, in Puerto Rico meaito.
⤷ Swahili: kibobakasi, kifabakazi
⤷ Tamil: patadi
⤷ Trade name: flame of the forest, Nandi flame
African Tulip Tree - Spathodea campanulata As the name applies, this African Tulip Tree - Spathodea campanulata originates from Africa, it is introduced in Fiji and can be seen all over in Fiji. African Tulip Tree,Fiji,Flower,Plant,Spathodea,Spathodea campanulata

Distribution

*Native to: Angola, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia
⤷ Exotic in: Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, India, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Sri Lanka, Zanzibar, Hawaii
It has become an invasive species in many tropical areas such as Hawaii, Queensland , Papua New Guinea, and the wet and intermediate zones of Sri Lanka.

S. campanulata is a declared class 3 pest species in Queensland, Australia, under the ''Land Protection Act 2002''.

References:

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Taxonomy
KingdomPlantae
DivisionAngiosperms
ClassEudicots
OrderLamiales
FamilyBignoniaceae
GenusSpathodea
SpeciesS. campanulata
Photographed in
Australia
Fiji
Indonesia
India
Mauritius