Spathodea is a monotypic genus in the flowering plant family Bignoniaceae (Trumpet Creeper family). The single species it contains, Spathodea campanulata, is commonly known as the African Tulip Tree or Fountain Tree or Nandi flame amongst others.

Origin and Composition:-

The evergreen African Tulip tree is abundantly found in Equatorial Africa. It is a beautiful spectacular flowering tree. It is fast-growing, about 80 feet tall and an ever-blooming tree. It has been nominated as among 100 of the “World’s Worst” invaders.

Appearance and Beauty:-

The trunk is light grey in color and buttressed. The wood is very soft and brittle. The timber from the tree is soft and used to make carvings and drums.
When it is young, the leaves are bronze; and turn deep glossy-green when they mature. It is much appreciated for its very showy reddish-orange or crimson flowers. Large clusters of velvety, bronze-green, kidney-shaped buds are to see at the ends of the branches. Out of each bud come, large orange-red flowers and because of this feature, the tree is termed as ornamental. The many seeds (about 500) are in an 8″ long legume that breaks open when it falls from the tree. The seeds are very small with transparent winglets.

Culture:-

These trees are grown for shade and tropical effects. They grow well in Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Florida. They require full sun, moist to rich soil, has little salt tolerance. The foliage will be killed at 28’ – 30’ F, however, the roots survive down to 20’F. Ideally, they should be planted in frost free areas or adequate arrangements to be made to protect from the same.

Unique Properties of Spathodea:-

It is called the Squirt tree because the flower buds contain a watery liquid which children utilize by piecing the buds and using them as water pistols. The hard central part of the fruit has a more sinister use however, as it contains a poisonous substance which is used on hunters’ arrows to kill prey. It can also be used in coffee plantations to provide shade for the young plants.

Healing Properties:-

• The bark and leaves are widely used as a traditional medicine in Ghana.
• The bark is used in wound healing and especially for burns. The bark and leaves shows a wide spectrum of antibacterial activity including anti-malarial activity.
• Aqueous alcoholic decoctions of the leaves shows promise to be used for the treatment of malaria.
• The stem bark decoction has shown hypoglycemic activity in mice.
• Ethanol leaf extracts show anticonvulsant activity.