Cannonball Tree
The Cannonball Tree (Couroupita guianensis) is a flowering, deciduous tree in the Lecythidaceae family.
It is native to the tropical forests of Central America and South America.
It grows to 35 metres (110 feet) tall.
The leaves are 8-30 centimetres (3-12 inches) long.
The scented, hooded flowers appear in racemes up to 80 centimetres (31 inches) long. They are up to 6 centimetres (2.5 inches) in diameter with six petals. The flowers are pink to red, with yellowish tips.
The fruit is spherical with a woody shell, up to 25 centimetres (10 inches) in diameter, looking like a cannonball.
The Cannonball Tree blooms during the rainy season.
It is often found at Buddhist and Hindu religious sites in Asia because it is believed to be the tree of sacred scriptures.
Photographed in Battambang Province, Cambodia, October 2023
Photographer: Martina Nicolls
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