Flame Tree and Jacaranda

Flame of the Forest near the train station entrance

Jacaranda by the side of Residence 4

The flame tree, a common flowering tree in Hong Kong, also known as Phoenix tree in Chinese, grows very fast. The trees can be seen everywhere on campus with the one around the KCR University Station being the most spectacular. The jacaranda is an elegant deciduous tree. It resembles and requires similar growing conditions as the flame tree, and it has lavender flowers; hence it is also known as the blue flame tree. But in fact, the two belong to different families. The jacaranda (Jacaranda acutifolia), a native of Brazil, belongs to the Bignoniaceae family, whereas the flame tree (Delonix regia), originating in Madagascar, is a Caesalpiniaceae. There are not many jacaranda trees on campus. A few can be seen outside Residence 4, and the tallest one grows near the train station. Both the flame tree and the jacaranda blossom in late spring and early summer. But the jacaranda has irregular flowering times. Flame trees do not blossom in the first eight years, but when they do, the clusters of red flowers are a striking sight. Few who lay their eyes on them would wonder why they are known as flames of the forest.

Extracted from 'CUHK Campus --- Trees on Campus', Chinese University Bulletin Spring/Autumn 2005
http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/puo/bulletin/issue200501/English/tree.htm

Flame of the Forest in full bloom

The jacaranda or blue flame tree