Spathodea

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Spathodea is a genus in the plant family Bignoniaceae. The single species it contains, Spathodea campanulata, is commonly known as the African tulip tree.<ref>Template:PLANTS</ref> The tree grows between Template:Convert tall and is native to tropical dry forests of Africa. It has been nominated as among 100 of the "World's Worst" invaders.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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. The generic name comes from the Ancient Greek words σπαθη (spathe) and οιδα (oida),<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Citation needed referring to the spathe-like calyx.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> It was identified by Europeans in 1787 on the Gold Coast of Africa.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>

DescriptionEdit

File:Nandi flame tree in keriovalley.jpg

Nandi flame tree in Kerio Valley

The flower bud is ampule-shaped and contains water. People sometimes play with these buds because of their ability to squirt water.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 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.

Flower anatomyEdit

The African tulip tree flower produces large flamboyant reddish-orange flowers that have approximately five petals and are 8–15 cm long. The flowers are bisexual and zygomorphic. These are displayed in a terminal corymb-like raceme inflorescence. Its pedicel is approximately 6 cm long. This flower also has a yellow margin and throat. The pistil can be found at center of four stamens that is inserted on the corolla tube. This flower has a slender ovary that is superior and is two celled. The seeds of this tree are flat, thin, and broadly winged.

Species associationsEdit

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).<ref name = bm&da2005>Baza Mendonça & dos Anjos (2005)</ref> The wood of the tree is soft and is used for nesting by many hole-building birds such as barbets.<ref name = ad&gv&md2012>de QUEIROZ, A. C. M., VENTURIERI, G., VENTURIERI, G., & de OLIVEIRA JUNIOR, M. C. M. (2012). Effect of toxicity of nectar and pollen of african tulip tree (Spathodea campanulata) on Melipona fasciculata and M. seminigra (Apidae, Meliponini). In Embrapa Amazônia Oriental-Resumo em anais de congresso (ALICE). In: ENCONTRO SOBRE ABELHAS, 10., 2012, Ribeirão Preto. Anais... Ribeirão Preto: FUNPEC, 2012</ref> Unfortunately the flowers have a natural defence killing bees, and it is thought various other species who harvest its pollen.Template:Citation needed Template:Disputed inline

Geographic distributionEdit

Native to: Angola, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia
Exotic in: Australia, Bangladesh,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Fiji, Hawaii, India, Jamaica, Mauritius, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Puerto Rico, Sri Lanka, Zanzibar, Philippines

It has become an invasive species in many tropical areas, such as Hawaii, Queensland (Australia), Fiji, Papua New Guinea, South Africa<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web

}}</ref> and the wet and intermediate zones of Sri Lanka.<ref>Template:Citation and Lalith Gunasekera, Invasive Plants: A guide to the identification of the most invasive plants of Sri Lanka, Colombo 2009, pp. 70–71.</ref>

Spathodea campanulata is a declared class 3 pest species in Queensland, Australia, under the Land Protection (Pest and Stock Route Management) Act 2002.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> It is known to be toxic to Australian native stingless bees, such as Lipotriches (Austronomia) flavoviridis.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Pests and diseasesEdit

In Uganda, two lepidopteran species, two termite species, and one bark beetle attack S. campanulata. In Puerto Rico nine insect species in the orders Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, and Thysanoptera have been reported as feeding on various parts of S. campanulata. The species is quite susceptible to butt and heart rot; wood of the tree rots quickly when in contact with the ground.

UseEdit

Its wood is too weak for construction use but ideal enough for boxes and toothpicks. Fijian children sometimes use its flower buds as water pistols.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref>

Common namesEdit

Afrikaans: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}<ref name="auto">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Bangla: Template:Transliteration ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}})
English: African tulip tree, fountain tree, Nandi flame, Nile flame, squirt tree, tulip tree, Uganda flame, Flame Tree of Thika
Fijian: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}<ref name=":0" />
French: tulipier de Gabon<ref name="auto"/>
Hindi: Template:Transliteration ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}})
Javanese: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} crut-crutan
Kannada: Template:Transliteration ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}})
Luganda: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
Luhya: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
Malay: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
Malayalam: African Poomaram ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}})
Sinhala: Template:Transliteration, Template:Transliteration
Spanish: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, in Puerto Rico {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, in Guatemala {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.<ref name="auto"/>
Sundanese: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} kaï acret or {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} kiacret<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="auto"/>
Swahili: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
Telugu: Template:Transliteration ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}), Template:Transliteration ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}})
Tamil: Template:Transliteration ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}})

Nandi: Septet (singular),Septonok (plural)

Trade name: Nandi flame

GalleryEdit

Spathodea campanulata flower in Narshapur, AP W IMG 0721.jpg
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Spathodea campanulata at Secunderabad W IMG 6626.jpg
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Bark I IMG 2807.jpg
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Spathodea campanulata A.jpg
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Spathodea campanulata.jpg
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Spathodea campanulata, saad, Krantzkloof NR.jpg
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Yellow Spathodea Santa Cruz de Tenerife.JPG
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Flower of Spathodea campanulata at Muzhappilangad .jpg
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火焰樹 Spathodea campanulata 20210319195317 01.jpg
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火焰樹 Spathodea campanulata 20210319195317 02.jpg
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火焰樹 Spathodea campanulata 20210319195317 04.jpg
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火焰樹 Spathodea campanulata 20210319195317 05.jpg
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FootnotesEdit

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ReferencesEdit

Template:Aut (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. {{#invoke:doi|main}} PDF fulltext
http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=75

External linksEdit

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