Our tree is called the Pompom tree. There is one out side the art gallery in Kirstenbosch. At Christmas the flower looks like giant balls of candy-floss. It's nature home is in eastern South Africa. The trees flower in early summer any time from November to December. The new flower buds look like lolly pops and are pink. They flower on the streets of Cape Town in November and in Kirstenbosch December. They have small flowers inside and come out like pink fluff-balls. It looks like the tree is a cheer-leader! The dried flowers can be used for decoration, model building and children's games. The trees are easy to grow and spread the seeds all over the garden. Breaking the branches off these trees are quite difficult because the bark comes off in long strips from wich accounts to it's common name Kannabas. The Pompom tree belongs to a family called Thymelaeceae.
Update: 2004/02/17 00:01:24
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