I posted some of the shots I took yesterday to facebook last night and a lovely friend of mine from high school that now manages a nature conservatory enlightened me.
Its Paulownia, or princess tree. I looked it up on Wikipedia, and found out that its originally from Asia but named after a princess from the Netherlands. Traditionally, one was planted after the birth of a daughter, then the wood was harvested and made into a dresser as a gift for her wedding. They are very fast growing. Here's a closeup of one of the blooms that fell off.
The tree was very tall. The fallen blooms were then only ones I could get close to. This is a branch after the blooms are spent and the seed pods opened and dried.
They are often used to reclaim areas of deforestation and are great for places with poor soil. This would make them beneficial where mountains have been strip mined. After reading up on them, I think this tree is probably very helpful to our area and I can see how they made their way here.
What a cool story. I don't think I've seen this tree before, but now I'll look for them :)
ReplyDeleteIt's very pretty! That's neat that your friend could tell you what they were, and that they turn out to be so beneficial for your area!
ReplyDeleteI love the stories behind flowers. It's so interesting how different cultures have incorporated flower stories into their traditions and rituals. What a pretty purple on this flower!
ReplyDeleteLove hearing the background of this beautiful flower. Great captures!
ReplyDeleteVery nice! I learned something new, too. If they grow easily that would be a great idea to spread them to areas that need new plantings.
ReplyDeleteThat is so interesting and so beautiful!
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