Nature Diary

Copperpod

Also caled Golden Flamboyant or the Yellow Flame Tree, its botanical name is Peltophorum pterocarpum. It is native to tropical southeastern Asia and is very commonly seen as a shade-giving tree on the road-side (called avenue tree). Right now you can see it in full bloom, its yellow flowers falling copiously to form a golden carpet. The flowers are produced in large compound racemes up to 20 cm long, with the oldest flowers nearer the base and the younger ones near the tip of the shoot.
It is a deciduous tree growing to 15–25 m tall.Its leaves are bipinnate, that means the leaflets are themselves divided into smaller leaflets, giving a feathery look to the leaves. It looks like the gulmohar tree but its bark is not as smooth and its leaves are bigger. In fact, in many places, the two trees are planted next to each other to give the vivid yellow-and-red effect from their flowers. The trees begin to flower about four years after they are planted.
The fruit is a pod 5-10 cm long and 2.5 cm broad, red at first, ripening black, and containing one to four seeds. The pods cover the tree completely, making the tree look flaming copper-red in colour, and giving it its name.
The wood has a wide variety of uses, including cabinet-making and the foliage is also used as a fodder.