13 Nov 2015

The End is Nigh


When the jacarandas bloom, the end of the year is coming.
I noticed, when out cycling, that this year the jacarandas seem to have quite nice flowers.  So I stopped a few times to take photos with my smartphone.

Sadly, its picture quality is nothing much to shout about.
I haven't noticed the WA Christmas trees blooming yet, as they usually flower at the same time as the jacarandas.

I will have to look out for them when out and see if I can get some pics.

10 comments:

  1. Beautiful!!! WA Christmas trees? Are they like the pohutukawa in New Zealand? Saw lots of those when we were there some years ago, December. New Zealand Christmas trees, they call them. Very nice too!

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    1. No, they are quite different. I blogged about them 2 years ago: http://i82muchblog.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/festive-season-foliage.html

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    2. Ahhhh!!! They're very nice but they're orange not red. I always associate red and green with Christmas...like all that in the news recently about the hoo haa going on over the Starbucks Christmas cup. I would prefer the purple jacarandas, stunning!

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    3. Yes, red and green are the Christmas colours. But these WA Christmas trees used to be very plentiful in the bush and they flowered at Christmas time. Hence their name.

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  2. Beautiful sight. We don't see anything like that in SG. The closest is the rhododendron - some purple flowers but not as luscious - more like shrubs, and not commonly seen either. See

    http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/plants/others/melastoma/malabathricum.htm

    In SG we have a lot of colourful ixora plants along the ECP, but sadly most of the trees that used to be in the middle of ECP are cut down to create more highway lanes.
    Anyway, most people here don't seem to care much about flowering trees, maybe only "money" trees like business pyramid schemes.

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    1. I didn't know rhododendrons grew in Singapore - always thought they were cooler climate plants. As for the ixora, I remember as a child pulling out the individual florets and sucking some sweetness out of them.

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    2. I believe that the rhododendrons in SG are not "real" rhododendrons. They are just called "Singapore rhododendrons" and are not native to SG, I think they were imported from South America. Anyway, I don't know much about them.
      Apparently, many trees here produce some kind of fruit or nuts which are supposed to have medicinal or beneficial properties. One friend used to harvest some kind of pods from a tree or plant and ate them because they were good for the throat (good for sore throat). Many Malays are aware of this. I have forgotten the name of the tree. The pods are very bitter. Are there any such things in Oz?

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    3. There are plants from which Aboriginal peoples derive medicinal benefits. Check out this article: http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/history-culture/2011/02/top-10-aboriginal-bush-medicines/

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  3. Arthur, the blooms and colours of the Jacarandas are lovely. I saw such a bloom at Adeliade during the drive at a small town in the Barrosah Valley and took a shot with a residence, an older man whom I befriended at the stopover. There are Jacaranda trees in Singapore but they do not have such blooms covereing the whole tree, just flowers. Also rhododendrons in SG are more plants grown in the wilds and as you noted probably not native but imported and probably scattered. Thanks for sharing the seasons in Australia which we miss here.

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    1. Glad you liked it sweetee. I always remember jacaranda trees in Singapore and Malaysia to be yellow. Wonder if it is just a trick of memory!

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