Plant of the Day

Monday 21 October 2024

The tropical evergreen Pisonia umbellifera ‘Variegata’ (birdcatcher tree, birdlime tree, umbrella catchbirdtree, map plant, para para) has foliage with distinctive variegation. When the shrub flowers it produces open clusters of fragrant, sticky, small green flowers tinged with pink and followed by sticky fruits. These are responsible for some of the common names as insects and small birds can get stuck to the flowers and fruit, so these are best removed.