African Trees

Flower of the Day – Pretty in Pink

/ El Rolyat / 2 Comments

As far as I can tell, there is only one Pink Jacaranda (Stereospermum kunthianum) in the park.

Pink Jacaranda (Stereospermum kunthianum)

Each spring I keep a look out for it tucked away – inconspicuously for most of the rest of the year – in a small dip just as you enter through the east gate.

It hasn’t grown much over the years – I suspect it’s a favourite elephant snack – and it’s easy to miss.

CMR Blisterbeetle (Hycleus spp). Seems it’s not just elephants who love the sweet, juicy flowers. These little guys may look pretty, but touch them at your peril!

The Pink Jacaranda is not just a pretty face. According to Wikipedia it is traditionally used for a number of medical ailments, including pharyngeal affections, leprosy, subcutaneous parasitic infections and other skin afflictions, venereal diseases, diarrhoea, dysentery, and as antiemetics. However, WebMD cautions that there is no real evidence to support any claims of its efficacy for these condidtions.

Cee’s POTD – July 9

Rain Tree

/ El Rolyat / 7 Comments

It’s probably not a good idea to sit under a  Philenoptera violacea unless you have an umbrella.

Thousands of tiny frog-hopper insects – called Ptyelus grossus – live off the sap of these trees. And as fast as they are sucking sap they are also peeing, forming almost pure water puddles on the ground under the trees.

This is one of the reasons the tree earns the nickname ‘rain tree’.

The other reason is that for a couple of weeks a year, around the beginning of November, the dull, grey bush suddenly erupts with splashes of violet and blue, and we know that the rains will soon be following.

That’s unless the crows have anything to do with it …

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It looks inviting, but you really don’t want to sit there