The African Tulip tree

The local name for the beautiful orange flowers of the African Tulip Tree is koii which which means to squirt. Apparently water can be squirted from the buds. At the tips of the branches the velvety horn shaped olive buds show in inverted whorls.

One thing the young ones who know this is the village love is to playfully squirt each other with water. When each brown banana shaped flower bud is squeezed the water inside creates this natural water pistol. These unusual flower clusters which you may be able to see up to ten feet away are made up of many claw like velvety brown buds that split open vertically. Before they bloom they resemble bronze sculptures.

Every time I step outside onto my terrace I see this which makes me happy. Each flower has a trumpet or tulip shape and is mostly yellow which makes them look like the sun. The African tulip tree is renowned worldwide as one of the most exquisite flowering trees because of the unique and extravagant appearance. It is usually planted for aesthetic reasons because look how eye catching it is.

The sunbirds drinking from the open cups after the buds burst is one of the most amazing sights. They seem to be preferred by hummingbirds over nearly every other tree in the garden. A real environmental challenge is dealing with these bothersome invaders. Over here in Ghana they are regarded as weed trees because of their rapid growth. Once a tree is established at a location removing it becomes difficult and costly. The ripe pods split into the shape of a woody boat. They are used by kids for boat races in the drains.

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