Spathodea

Spathodea
	Flowers
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Bignoniaceae
Tribe:	Tecomeae
Genus:	Spathodea
Species:	S. campanulata
Binomial name
	Spathodea campanulata; P.Beauv.

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leaves in Hyderabad, India.

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. It is a tree that grows between 7–25 m (23–82 ft) tall and is native to tropical dry forests of Africa.

This tree is planted extensively as an ornamental tree throughout the tropics and is much appreciated for its very showy reddish-orange or crimson (rarely yellow), campanulate flowers. It has become an invasive species in many tropical areas.^[1]

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. In Neotropical gardens and parks, their nectar is popular with many hummingbirds, such as the Black-throated Mango (Anthracothorax nigricollis), the Black Jacobin (Florisuga fusca), or the Gilded Hummingbird (Hylocharis chrysura)^[2]. The wood of the tree is soft and is used for nesting by many hole-building birds such as barbets.

The generic name comes from the Ancient Greek words σπαθη (spathe) and οιδα (oida),^[3] referring to the spathe-like calyx.^[4]

[edit] Footnotes

^ Invasive Species Compendium, http://www.cabi.org/isc/?compid=5&dsid=51139&loadmodule=datasheet&page=481&site=144
^ Baza Mendonça & dos Anjos (2005)
^ Gledhill, D. (2008). The Names of Plants (4 ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 357. ISBN 9780521866453. http://books.google.com/books?id=NJ6PyhVuecwC.
^ Quattrocchi, Umberto (2000). CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names. 4 R-Z. Taylor & Francis US. p. 2526. ISBN 9780849326783. http://books.google.com/books?id=2ndDtX-RjYkC&.

[edit] References

Baza Mendonça, Luciana & dos Anjos, Luiz (2005): Beija-flores (Aves, Trochilidae) e seus recursos florais em uma área urbana do Sul do Brasil [Hummingbirds (Aves, Trochilidae) and their flowers in an urban area of southern Brazil]. [Portuguese with English abstract] Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 22(1): 51–59. doi:10.1590/S0101-81752005000100007 PDF fulltext

[edit] Gallery

Red-vented Bulbul feeding on flowers in Kinnerasani Wildlife Sanctuary, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Yellow Spathodea cultivar, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands.
Spathodea flower in Narshapur near Hyderabad, India.
Spathodea flower in Narshapur near Hyderabad, India.
Spathodea flower in Narshapur near Hyderabad, India.
Spathodea fruit in Hyderabad, India.
Tree at Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Spathodea bark
Spathodea flowers & leaves at Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Spathodea bark at Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Habitus
Leaves and flowers
Flowers and buds
Spathodea seed