Flowers along the way

The temple tour provided an opportunity to capture many trees and flowers.

First the ubiquitous jasmine.

The erecta duranta, but a variety different from what we see in the city, as the leaves had a yellow lining to them.

 

A sausage tree, just done blooming, at the Lepakshi temple.

 

The Sausage Tree in Chennai

is none other than the Kigelie Pinnata - the african sausage tree. But this is not the same as the one i see all over the city that has smaller sausage like fruits hanging that look like cotton pads once the pods burst.

The sausage tree of the carribbean

Here is a tree i photographed in a shopping square in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands...


The tree is of the genus Kigelia and is native to tropical Africa.
I keep seeing a very similar tree all around Chennai. It has green sausage like fruits hanging from its branches. With time the sausages turn brown, then the brown casing falls off to reveal a white interior that looks almost like it is made of thick cotton pads stitched together. Interesting isnt it? I havent managed to take a picture of one of these yet. Am really curious to find out if it is the same as the sausage trees of african origin.