🔮 Why cannon balls grow on a tree with mollusk open mouth.

• 🐙 Couroupita guianensis - Cannonball Tree - is a rare tree from South America with a bizarre fruit and flowers, that can be seen only in tropical botanic gardens.
• 🐙 It is a very tall tree with large, elliptical leaves
• 🐙 The pinkish-red flowers, strongly scented at night, grow directly from the trunk near the base of the crown, and not on the branches. They look like exotic mollusks! They have a complex structure with numerous stamens that resemble sea anemones or other marine life. The flower is often described as looking like an open mouth or a sea creature.
• 🐙 The tree blooms year round. Flowers are followed by large, globular fruit, up to 8 inches in diameter, resembling cannonballs, hence the name "Cannonball Tree." They remain on the tree for many months. On older trees there may be dozens of fruits and flower clusters at the same time!
• 🐙 When the ripe fruits fall from the tree, they can make a loud, cannonball-like noise upon hitting the ground due to their size and weight.

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More pictures of the Cannonball Tree for the previous post 👆

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Would you like a Bat Head?

The Bat Head Lily we mentioned earlier - is blooming again!

🙈 Bat Head Lily, Bat Flower, Devil Flower or Tacca Lily - is one of the most exotic and bizarre flowers along with Amorphophallus, Sausage Tree and Clitoria.

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🍞 Breaking news: flower smells of freshly baked bread! It smells so good, you want to eat it!

• 🍔 Vallaris glabra - Bread Flower - is one of the most impressive tropical vines that is very popular in Thailand and other South-East Asia countries.
• 🍔 Moderate growth woody climber with clusters of freshly-baked-bread fragrant white flowers.
• 🍔 Easy to care and tolerates wide range of conditions. It can be trained as a compact bush and is good for container culture.
• 🍔 Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.
• 🍔 Relatively cold hardy, mild frost doesn't do any damage to it, even large tropical leaves stay glossy, green and healthy.
• 🍔 It is very vigorous grower that can create nice privacy hedge or cover a large fence.

❓ Have you smelled the Bread Flower? Did you like the fragrance? Share in comments👇

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Medusa's Head Flower - from Greek mythology...

• 🐙 Strophanthus preussii - Poison Arrow Vine, Medusa Flower - has an intriguing flower!
• 🐙 The faintly fragrant flowers have long, slender, and curly petals that resemble the snakes on Medusa's head from Greek mythology, giving it the nickname "Medusa Flower." The petals often extend and twist dramatically, creating an eye-catching appearance. The tips of the petals become narrowed and elongated, forming a twisting, sticky string that dangles down from the flower and touches lower leaves.
• 🐙 The flowers are brightly colored, often in shades of white, yellow, and red, which can attract pollinators and add to their striking visual appeal.
• 🐙 As suggested by another common name "Poison Arrow Vine," parts of the plant contain toxic compounds. Historically, the seeds were used by some African tribes to poison the tips of arrows for hunting. This gives the plant a certain mystique...
• 🐙 Interesting pollination mechanism: the elaborate design of the flowers is not just for show; it plays a role in the plant's pollination strategy. The intricate structure can help ensure that pollinators come into contact with the reproductive parts of the flower, thereby facilitating cross-pollination.
• 🐙 Blooms almost year around

❓ What bizarre plants do you have in your collection? Share in comments👇

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