Editing Spathodea (section)

{{Short description|Genus of trees}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Speciesbox
|image = Starr 031210-0047 Spathodea campanulata.jpg
|image2 = Spathodea campanulata flower cluster (Philippines) 2.jpg
|status = LC
|status_system = IUCN3.1
|status_ref =<ref name=IUCN>{{cite iucn |author1=Rivers, M.C. |author2=Mark, J. |name-list-style=amp |title=''Spathodea campanulata'' |page=e.T49196213A49196223 |year=2017 |access-date=13 November 2023}}</ref>
|display_parents = 3
|genus = Spathodea
|parent_authority = P.Beauv.
|species = campanulata
|authority = [[Ambroise Marie François Joseph Palisot de Beauvois|P.Beauv.]]
}}

'''''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>{{PLANTS|id=SPCA2|taxon=Spathodea campanulata|accessdate=24 November 2015}}</ref> The tree grows between {{convert|7|-|25|m|ft|abbr=on}} tall and is native to [[tropical dry forest]]s of Africa. It has been nominated as among 100 of the "World's Worst" invaders.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iucngisd.org/gisd/100_worst.php |title = GISD}}</ref>

This tree is planted extensively as an [[ornamental plant|ornamental tree]] throughout the tropics and is much appreciated for its very showy reddish-orange or crimson (rarely yellow), campanulate [[flower]]s. The [[Genus#Use in nomenclature|generic name]] comes from the [[Ancient Greek]] words σπαθη (''spathe'') and οιδα (''oida''),<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NJ6PyhVuecwC |title=The Names of Plants |first=D. |last=Gledhill |edition=4 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-86645-3 |year=2008 |page=357}}</ref>{{citation needed|reason=Gledhill seems to confuse -ειδής (= '-like') and οἶδα = 'I know'. A more reliable source is needed.|date=March 2025}} referring to the [[spathe]]-like [[flower|calyx]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2ndDtX-RjYkC |title=CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names |volume=4 R-Z |year=2000 |first=Umberto |last=Quattrocchi |publisher=Taylor & Francis US |isbn=978-0-8493-2678-3 |page=2526}}</ref> It was identified by Europeans in 1787 on the [[Gold Coast (region)|Gold Coast]] of Africa.<ref>{{citation |title=African Tulip Tropical Tree|url=http://tropicalflowerguide.com/african-tulip-tropical-tree.html}}</ref>