# Spathodea

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***Spathodea*** is a [genus](/source/Genus) in the plant family [Bignoniaceae](/source/Bignoniaceae). The single species it contains, ***Spathodea campanulata***, is commonly known as the **African tulip tree** or the **Nandi Flame**.[2] The tree grows between 7–25 m (23–82 ft) tall and is native to [tropical dry forests](/source/Tropical_dry_forest) of Africa. It has been nominated as among 100 of the "World's Worst" invaders.[3]

This tree is planted extensively as an [ornamental tree](/source/Ornamental_plant) throughout the tropics and is much appreciated for its very showy reddish-orange or crimson (rarely yellow), campanulate [flowers](/source/Flower). The [generic name](/source/Genus#Use_in_nomenclature) comes from the [Ancient Greek](/source/Ancient_Greek) words σπαθη (*spathe*) and οιδα (*oida*),[4][citation needed] referring to the [spathe](/source/Spathe)-like [calyx](/source/Flower).[5] It was identified by Europeans in 1787 on the [Gold Coast](/source/Gold_Coast_(region)) of Africa.[6]

## Description

The [flower bud](/source/Flower_bud) is [ampule](/source/Ampule)-shaped and contains water. People sometimes play with these buds because of their ability to squirt water.[7] The sap sometimes stains yellow on fingers and clothes. The open flowers are cup-shaped and hold rain and dew, making them attractive to many species of [birds](/source/Bird).

## Flower anatomy

The African tulip tree flower produces large flamboyant reddish-orange flowers that have approximately five petals and are 8–15 cm long. The flowers are bisexual and zygomorphic. These are displayed in a terminal corymb-like raceme inflorescence. Its pedicel is approximately 6 cm long. This flower also has a yellow margin and throat. The pistil can be found at center of four stamens that is inserted on the corolla tube. This flower has a slender ovary that is superior and is two celled. The seeds of this tree are flat, thin, and broadly winged.

## Species associations

In [Neotropical](/source/Neotropical) gardens and parks, their [nectar](/source/Nectar) is popular with many [hummingbirds](/source/Hummingbird), such as the [black-throated mango](/source/Black-throated_mango) (*Anthracothorax nigricollis*), the [black jacobin](/source/Black_jacobin) (*Florisuga fusca*), or the [gilded hummingbird](/source/Gilded_hummingbird) (*Hylocharis chrysura*).[8] The wood of the tree is soft and is used for nesting by many hole-building birds such as [barbets](/source/Lybiidae).[9] Unfortunately the flowers have a natural defence killing bees, and it is thought various other species who harvest its pollen.[citation needed][disputed – discuss]

## Geographic distribution

- Native to: Angola, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia
- Exotic in: Australia, Bangladesh,[10][Brazil](/source/Brazil), [Colombia](/source/Colombia), Costa Rica, Cuba, Fiji, [Hawaii](/source/Hawaii), [Honduras](/source/Honduras), India, Jamaica, [Mauritius](/source/Mauritius), [Mexico](/source/Mexico), Papua New Guinea, [Puerto Rico](/source/Puerto_Rico), Sri Lanka, [Zanzibar](/source/Zanzibar), Philippines

It has become an [invasive species](/source/Invasive_species) in many tropical areas, such as Hawaii, Queensland (Australia), Fiji, Papua New Guinea, South Africa[11] and the wet and intermediate zones of Sri Lanka.[12]

*Spathodea campanulata* is a [declared class 3 pest species in Queensland](/source/List_of_common_weeds_of_Queensland), Australia, under the *Land Protection (Pest and Stock Route Management) Act 2002*.[13] It is known to be toxic to Australian native [stingless bees](/source/Stingless_bee), such as *Lipotriches (Austronomia) flavoviridis*.[14]

## Pests and diseases

In [Uganda](/source/Uganda), two lepidopteran species, two termite species, and one bark beetle attack *S. campanulata*. In Puerto Rico nine insect species in the orders [Hemiptera](/source/Hemiptera), [Hymenoptera](/source/Hymenoptera), [Lepidoptera](/source/Lepidoptera), and [Thysanoptera](/source/Thysanoptera) have been reported as feeding on various parts of *S. campanulata*. The species is quite susceptible to butt and heart rot; wood of the tree rots quickly when in contact with the ground.

## Use

Its wood is too weak for construction use but ideal enough for boxes and toothpicks. [Fijian](/source/Fijians) children sometimes use its flower buds as [water pistols](/source/Water_gun).[15]

## Common names

- Afrikaans: *fakkelboom*, *Afrika-vlamboom*[16]
- Bangla: *rudrapalash* (রুদ্রপলাশ)
- English: African tulip tree, fountain tree, Nandi flame, Nile flame, squirt tree, tulip tree, Uganda flame, Flame Tree of Thika
- Fijian: *pasiu*, *pisipisi*[15]
- French: *tulipier de Gabon*[16]
- Hindi: *rugtoora* (रुग्तूरा)
- Javanese: *ꦕꦿꦸꦠ꧀​ꦕꦿꦸꦠꦤ꧀* *crut-crutan*
- Kannada: *Neerukayi mara, Jeerkolavi mara* (ನೀರುಕಾಯಿ ಮರ, ಜೀರ್ಕೊೞವಿ ಮರ, ಜೀರ್ಕೊಳವಿ ಮರ)
- Luganda: *kifabakazi*
- Luhya: *muzurio*
- Malay: *panchut-panchut*
- Malayalam: *African Poomaram* (ആഫ്രിക്കൻ പൂമരം)
- Sinhala: *kudaella gaha*, *kudulu*
- Spanish: *amapola*, *espatodea*, *mampolo*, *tulipán africano*, in Puerto Rico *meaíto*, in Guatemala *llama del bosque*.[16]
- Sundanese: *ᮊᮄ ᮃᮎᮢᮦᮒ᮪* *kaï acret* or *ᮊᮤᮃᮎᮢᮦᮒ᮪* *kiacret*[17][16]
- Swahili: *kibobakasi*, *kifabakazi*
- Telugu: *Neeti Budda* (నీటి బుడ్డ), *Gonuganta* (గోనుగంట)
- Tamil: *pasadi* (பாசடி)

Nandi: Septet (singular),Septonok (plural)

- Trade name: Nandi flame

## Footnotes

1. ["*Spathodea* P.Beauv."](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30003692-2). *Plants of the World Online*. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2026. Retrieved 18 April 2026.

1. ["GISD"](http://www.iucngisd.org/gisd/100_worst.php)

1. Gledhill, D. (2008). [*The Names of Plants*](https://books.google.com/books?id=NJ6PyhVuecwC). 4 ed. Cambridge University Press. p. 357. ISBN 978-0-521-86645-3.

1. Quattrocchi, Umberto (2000). [*CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names*](https://books.google.com/books?id=2ndDtX-RjYkC). Vol. 4 R-Z. Taylor & Francis US. p. 2526. ISBN 978-0-8493-2678-3.

1. ["African Tulip Tropical Tree"](http://tropicalflowerguide.com/african-tulip-tropical-tree.html)

1. Hargreaves, Dorothy & Hargreaves, Bob (1964). [*Tropical Trees of Hawaii*](https://archive.org/details/tropicaltreesofh00doro_0/page/2). Kailua, Hawaii: Hargreaves. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-910690-02-7.

1. Baza Mendonça & dos Anjos (2005)

1. de QUEIROZ, A. C. M., VENTURIERI, G., VENTURIERI, G., & de OLIVEIRA JUNIOR, M. C. M. (2012). Effect of toxicity of nectar and pollen of african tulip tree (Spathodea campanulata) on Melipona fasciculata and M. seminigra (Apidae, Meliponini). In Embrapa Amazônia Oriental-Resumo em anais de congresso (ALICE). In: ENCONTRO SOBRE ABELHAS, 10., 2012, Ribeirão Preto. Anais... Ribeirão Preto: FUNPEC, 2012

1. ["ফুটেছে রুদ্রপলাশ | প্রথম আলো"](http://www.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/article/1471856/ফুটেছে-রুদ্রপলাশ). 18 April 2018.

1. ["African tulip tree – Invasive Species South Africa"](https://invasives.org.za/fact-sheet/african-tulip-tree/). Retrieved 17 February 2022.

1. ["Invasive Species Compendium"](http://www.cabi.org/isc/?compid=5&dsid=51139&loadmodule=datasheet&page=481&site=144) and Lalith Gunasekera, *Invasive Plants: A guide to the identification of the most invasive plants of Sri Lanka*, Colombo 2009, pp. 70–71.

1. "Land Protection (Pest and Stock Route) Regulation 2003 (Qld) – Schedule 2"

1. O'Flaherty, Antonia (17 February 2021). ["Brisbane beekeeper creates editable map to track African tulip trees killing native stingless bees"](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-17/beekeper-creates-tree-map-to-save-native-bees/13156240). *ABC News*. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 18 February 2021.

1. Keppel, Gunnar & Ghazanfar, Shahina A. (2011). *Trees of Fiji: A Guide to 100 Rainforest Trees*. third, revised ed. Secretariat of the Pacific Community & Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit. pp. 58–9.

1. ["African tulip tree (Spathodea campanulata)"](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/126566-Spathodea-campanulata). *iNaturalist*. Retrieved 2 April 2024.

1. *Five hundred plant species in Gunung Halimun Salak National Park, West Java: a checklist including Sundanese names, distribution, and use*. Bogor, Indonesia: CIFOR. 2010. p. 74. ISBN 978-602-8693-22-6.

## References

- (2005): Beija-flores (Aves, Trochilidae) e seus recursos florais em uma área urbana do Sul do Brasil [Hummingbirds (Aves, Trochilidae) and their flowers in an urban area of southern Brazil]. [Portuguese with English abstract] *Revista Brasileira de Zoologia* **22**(1): 51–59. [doi:10.1590/S0101-81752005000100007](https://doi.org/10.1590/S0101-81752005000100007) [PDF fulltext](http://www.scielo.br/pdf/rbzool/v22n1/a07v22n1.pdf)
- [http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=75](http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=75)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Spathodea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spathodea) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spathodea?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.