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Fall and the Cannonball tree


Couroupita guianensis, whose common names include Ayahuma and the Cannonball Tree, is an evergreen tree allied to the Brazil Nut (Bertholletia excelsa), and is native to tropical northern South America and to the southern Caribbean. In India it has been growing for the past two or three thousand years at least, as attested by textual records; hence it is possible that it is native to India also.

Hindus revere it as a sacred tree because the petals of the flower resemble the hood of the Naga, a sacred snake, protecting a Shiva Lingam, the stigma.


The tree gets its common name from the large, spherical fruits it produces. The fruit falls from the tree and cracks open when it hits the ground when mature, often causing the sound of a small explosion. The fruit emits an unpleasant aroma when exposed to the air.


 Individual seeds within the "ball" are coated with hair, which is thought to protect the seed when it is ingested and may also help in the passage of the seed through the intestines. 


The cannonball tree and it's fruit are thought by some to be remnants of the last ice age, like the "hedge apple" or "osage orane" of north America. The fruit is thought to be an adaptation provided for the giant ground sloth, a long extinct species.



The tree grows up to 25m (82ft) in height.



Its flowers are orange, scarlet and pink in color, and form large bunches measuring up to 3m in length.



Information courtesy: Wikipedia

67 comments:

  1. Beautiful photos.

    Regards and best wishes

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  2. Hello :) My first time here - so nice to meet you! I love cannonball trees. I saw my irst one this year at Fairchild Botanic Gardens here in Florida. The tree smells great, doesn't it?

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  3. Lovely shots and great explanation, especially the bit where you info about why this flower is sacred to the Hindus!

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  4. Photos are beautiful as always and thanks for the info. too. I've never seen this tree before.

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  5. Wow. Fascinating. Thanks for sharing this morning. Spring is coming to us in the United States. It looks like Fall is coming to you!

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  6. Great pics - and the info behind them!

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  7. It is a while since I saw the shiv ling flower. I remember when I lived in Hyderabad, we had a tree along the road to our place. The fruit was hilarious, we'd hit each other with it and say "mottakkaai". What fun that was.

    The photos are precious, Shiju!

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  8. What great insight you post with the beautiful pictures.

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  9. An amazing tree -- so much to see. The fruit, the flowers, the lovely bark.

    Thanks for sharing at Your Sunday Best. :)

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  10. What a beautiful set of captures of colors and contrasts, textures and light.

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  11. I've never seen that tree and its flowers -- so lovely! Beautiful pics.

    Happy Sunday!
    :-)
    Traci

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  12. Fascinating! I've never heard of this tree, its flowers, nor its fruit.

    I can tell you I would NOT want one of those cannons to fall on my HEAD.

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  13. Looking at your pictures is like stepping into a dream. Truly magical.

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  14. Absolutely marvelous pictures Shiju! Love them!!!

    Regards from Barcelona.

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  15. Lovely photoes...have a nice day.

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  16. Such a beautiful shots i like all photos.

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  17. Wow, what a shot and great idea.

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  18. Excellent post about the 'cannon ball tree' and photos are awesome ~ thank you also for linking up with Magical Monday ~ namaste, Carol ^_^

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  19. SÃ¥ mange flotte bilder av blomster og natur.
    Ha en riktig fin uke ;)))

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  20. An incredible tree with amazing symbolism! Beautiful photos!

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  21. Amazing photography,Thanks for sharing with us at Creative Mondays :)

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  22. Calling by as another Our World Tuesday participant, a fascinating post.

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  23. beautiful pictures, we love to play with the dry leaves too :-) Visiting from Ruby Tuesdays 2, hope that you can return your red visit too.

    http://www.homecookingwithjessy.com/what-does-say-in-your-fortune-cookie/

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  24. simply perfect! what beauty in nature!

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  25. Fascinating post about a beautiful tree. I enjoyed these shots so much.

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  26. I never heard of this! Very interesting and you took very good photos, as well. Thank you :)

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  27. Nice to meet you Shiju and to welcome you to Nature Notes...I won't use your photo in my weekly collage of Nature Notes bloggers without your permission. This is so interesting and not what I think of in terms of an evergreen that has seed cones here in the US. The seed and fruit are so different looking and I don't know if I would want to be near it when one falls and makes a noise. I am guessing that people don't eat the fruit? You are into fall and we are into spring....Michelle...

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  28. wow, that is all so very interesting. and great photos!

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  29. Beautiful flower. smells good too.

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  30. Cool tree and the blooms are beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

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  31. Very interesting post. Makes total sense that it is related to the Osage orange, which I have seen in California and elsewhere over here.... The blossoms on yours are much more beautiful though. Thank you for the information and lovely pictures!

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  32. Beautiful! I can see why it's called a cannonball tree!

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  33. Really interesting to learn about this tree --- and great photos!!

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  34. what a magnificent tree!
    I love your perspective in the first shot

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  35. Beautiful! Thanks for this glimpse of nature I'd have otherwise never seen.

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  36. I love these, I've never seen anything like them before. Great captures.

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  37. added you through the Thursday blog hop, you take excellent pictures

    LeRoy
    Daddy Waddy Weeviews

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  38. What beautiful blossoms! Thank you for linking up with Rural Thursday today!

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  39. So happy you decided to share your amazing photography at Rural Thursday. Thank you and have a wonderful day, dear!

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  40. Fabulous photos! A cannonball tree...who knew?

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  41. Wonderful tree and photo, so glad you posted.

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  42. wondeful pics. beautiful flowers! thanks for sharing with tina´s ww.

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  43. Thank you ever so much for sharing with us about this very interesting tree. I have never heard or seen anything about it. I think we grow as we learn new things and am thankful when I do.

    Happy Theme Thursday, thanks so much for playing this week. Hope to see you again next week.

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  44. Shiju, you never cease to amaze and educate me. I wish I had seen this tree in person. Perhaps, if/when I make it back to India, this can top my list of living things to see. It is so interesting. I still love my bright yellow tree but this has so many items of interest - and I can't believe you never even mentioned it to me before.

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  45. Lovely information and photography!! Now this is what I think photography should be about...educating!! :)

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  52. Pictures are awesome i like them very much. And nice explanations.

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  53. Thanks for sharing this interesting post.Glad to know its relationship with Hindu religion.I like all these captures,specially the first one.Definitely it is the view I want to see under a Cannonball tree...

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