Harpullia pendula
Family: SAPINDACEAE
It is worth the climb up tabletop at the moment, just to walk across it and look down the eastern side.
The tulipwoods are spectacularly in seed, about half-way down. Some of the trees seem be more fruit than leaf. It would be quite difficult to get down to them, so we didn’t, contenting ourselves with looking down on them and photographing them from a distance.
The tulipwoods are spectacularly in seed, about half-way down. Some of the trees seem be more fruit than leaf. They are unusually late, as the showy fruits are more often seen in summer - although like so many native trees, they take advantage of rain when it happens. This display would be the result of the lateness of our summer rains this year.
The photos below (taken elsewhere) show how pretty the seeds are, with their showy pods that last on the tree long after the birds have taken the shiny black fruits.
The flowers are pretty little things, but far from showy.
Tulipwoods are fast-growing small trees, very commonly used as street trees in Brisbane where they are valued because of their non-invasive roots and their reliable tendency (when grown in the open) to remain below the height of power lines.
Popular in gardens, they make a nice patch of shade without growing too large. Birds love to nest in the dense foliage, and the trees can be butterfly hosts, as well.
They tolerate the light frost that is typical of the eastern side of Toowoomba.
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