As I have promised so many people, here is a bit about the Ivory Curl tree, Buckinghamia celsissima, in my garden. This year has been a wonderful flowering and there has been many insects visiting. I haven’t seen any birds though.
The flowers are very like a Grevillea spike flower and attract the bees with their prolific nectar, the flowers are almost 30cm long and cause the branches to drop down giving the tree a weeping habit. The Ivory Curl tree will grow to between 10 to 30 metres in Northern Queensland where they normally grow. The ones in my garden will only grow to around 3 to 5 metres.
When this one was newly planted, the top was broken off when my youngest daughter and a friend were small, running around the garden playing, they decided to used the tiny tree as a hurdle. As you can see it didn’t do any long term damage just set it back a bit.

The flowers go through a “bud” stage

The flowers can grow either in groups or as a single flower


This bee was having a good time exploring the flower

Bees really get inside for the nectar

There is often a variety of insects having a snack. Beetles, wasps and bees.

A Line Blue Butterfly finding a good spot

A Varied Eggfly Butterfly fluttered in for a visit

There is always a spider lurking somewhere

But scurries away when spotted

A Hornet and a couple of Small Green-banded Line Blues share a flower. I have no idea what the insect is on the tip of the flower.

After a while all flowers must have to decline and lose their attraction.

Some flowers just drop down to almost a stick after all the flower parts drop off.

Whereas other flowers form seed pods

But as the Autumn flowers start to fade and disappear, new leaves will start to appear with their wonderful bronze colour

Also for Cee’s FOTD
That’s new to me. Quite different from what I have seen before. Great series of photos.
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Thanks Aletta 🙂 🙂
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Beautiful plant and great photos, Brian. Wouldn’t mind some of those in my yard.
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They would grow in Hawaii probably
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Everything grows in Hawaii!
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Just like here except cool climate stuff which will grow but get a disease or rot
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Lovely post, Brian, with the photos showing the life of the tree. Marvellous to see the changes and beautifully done!
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Thank you ever so much Maria 🙂 🙂
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Lovely. I’m guessing the UK wouldn’t suit it very well.
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Not really unless you have a very tall hothouse 🙂
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This is an interesting post, enjoyed it.❤️
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Thanks you 🙂
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They are really beautiful trees. Mine is only half a metre high, so I don’t expect it to flower in the near future!
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It will take a few more years 🙂
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Do those flowers exist in America? Because if so, you’ve solved a mystery for me. They don’t grow here. I suspect it is too cold, but in the South, it’s much warmer and I saw what looks remarkably like those flowers in several places. Fascinating photography!
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Thanks very much Melanie. They probably would grow in the warmer sub-tropical climates 🙂
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Those flowers look like intricate lace work.
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Hadn’t thought of that aspect of the flowers 🙂
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Lovely photos & interesting details. Thank you for both, Brian!
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Most welcome Del 🙂 🙂
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Great post, Brian! I love your life cycle ones, and this one is beautiful!
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Thank you ever so much Susan. I enjoy compiling them 🙂 🙂
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