June 29, 2009
What’s Blooming July
The Pink Powder-puff Tree
Native to temperate and subtropical Asia, this somewhat short-lived tree with finely divided leaves and pink, powder-puff like flowers. It is a welcome addition to Southern California landscapes because of the light shade its canopy of delicate leaves provides. It is also used in Chinese medicine as an anti-depressant, and there is evidence it may work too; its flowers contain the human brain chemicals nor-adrenaline and serotonin.
This flower is one of the largest on earth (the Huntington Botanic Garden’s giant stinky flower, Amorphophallus titanum, is actually a structure composed of many flowers). Although it is not a carnivorous plant, Aristolochea flowers actually trap and detain bugs! First attracting insects with a scent that resembles dead animals, the Aristolochia flower then temporarily traps them with hairs located inside the bloom. These hairs wilt as the trapped insect struggles against them, eventually releasing them –but not before the its movements have managed to coat it with copious amounts of Aristolochia pollen. Once released these insects fly to other Aristolochia plants and pollinate them.
Cracks in the bark of this Southern Africa native produce an edible gum used in making candy and other food products. Check it out in the African section -but watch out for its huge 2-3 inch-long spines!