#myrtaceae

Eucalyptus torquata

Australia has hundreds of Eucalyptus species, and a large percentage of them have small white flowers that aren't very showy, so we greatly appreciate those that buck the trend and produce dazzling flowers, as seen here with E. torquata. The base of the flower is glossy scarlet, and the many pink stamens make a stunning addition. This small tree is endemic to Western Australia. Eucalyptus is part of the Myrtle Family.

Hypocalymma xanthopetalum

18-SEP-2025

An iconic tree in New Zealand gardens, beloved for its fruit. Which is a bit ironic, since it's native to the highlands of Columbia, Brazil and Uraguay, and reached New Zealand via France then California. The flowers are pretty amazing too.

Fay-ho-uh in Spanish-speaking countries of South America or fee-jo-uh in the United States and New Zealand. Originally Acca sellowiana, until it got stranded alone in it's own genus, and renamed. AKA pineapple guava, fig guava and guavasteen, although it's not a true gauva, and quirina (lusified from kanê kriyne[a] by the indigenous Kaingang of southern Brazil). The binomial honours João da Silva Feijó, a Portuguese naturalist, and Friedrich Sellow, a German who first collected specimens of Feijoa in southern Brazil.

Pollinated by bees, bumblebees, and medium-sized birds, although some cultivars are self-fertilising.

Cultivated for fruit in New Zealand, California, and Colombia, but grown over a wider area as an ornamental. The fruit is sweet and tart, and highly aromatic with a hard-to-describe flavour, but alas has a short shelf life and easily bruise, making export difficult. The petals are also edible.

Some poor unfortunate souls find the aroma of feijoa sickly, and the fruit soapy. One has to wonder what they did in a previous life to deserve that fate.