Common Name – Oyama Magnolia
Native to Eastern Asia – Japan, Korea. A small tree. With white cup shaped flowers with purple red stamens. Almost look like mini lotuses. The flowers are fragrant, but I did not notice it in the rain!
Picture taken at Benmore Gardens, Scotland
A compact shrub / small tree with bright blue flowers. Said to ideal for dense ground cover, for low walls, for fences…. And they have nice dark green leaves and therefore the blue flowers stand out.
Beautiful… Seen at the resort in Hunters Quay, Dunoon, Scotland.
Species – Ceanothus thyrsiflorus repens
I almost missed the tree in the pouring rain ( the picture does not show the rain!) but the strange branches caught my eye and then the board with the name. Monkey Puzzle Tree???? I had to take a picture. Wish I had taken a better one, but I was worried the camera would be drenched.
A native of Argentina and Chile the tree is found everywhere in the world! I read there is one in the Ooty Botanical Gardens. The tree is supposed to grow up to 70-100 ft and the shape resembles that of a Christmas tree. The name ( attributed) is thought to have originated in Europe in 1800s when someone is supposed to have remarked that the tree branches would have even puzzled a monkey – it would have to figure out how to climb it! And the name stuck.
The leaves are dark green, and stiff like needles.
Botanical name – Araucaria araucana
Picture taken at Benmore Gardens, Scotland.
Common name – Chilean Fire Bush, Flame Flower
A upward growing tree / shrub. Very striking due to the masses of bright red flowers. Blooms early summer. Flowers split into curved, coiled, twisted tubes. A very attractive tree when in full bloom. Native to Chile and Argentina.
Botanical name – Embothrium coccineum
Photograph – Benmore gardens, Scotland
Common name: Flame Tree, Royal Poinciana
While I hate the heat in summer, I love the trees that bloom this season. The yellow Laburnum, the purple Jacaranda and the red/orange Gulmohar.
Native to Madagascar, this tree is now seen almost all over India. All through the months of May-June one finds the tree covered with clusters of bright orange flowers along with its delicate green fern leaves.
Botanical name: Delonix regia Family: Caesalpiniaceae (Gulmohar family)
Picture taken at Somajiguda, Hyderabad
An excellent site for identification of flora in India with immediate response from its members – indiantreepix @googlegroups. Thank you.
Common name: Pongam Tree, Indian Beech Tree
It must have been 40 C outside, but this tree provided a nice canopy and offered a welcome respite from the heat. The Pongamia pinnata ( or the Millettia pinatta) is a lovely tree of the Pea family. Small clusters of pink,purple,white flowers are seen throught the year. They turn into brown pods later.
Botanical name: Millettia pinnata Family: Fabaceae (pea family)
Photographed in Secunderabad Club and Somajiguda, Hyderabad.
I love the purple-blue of the Jacaranda flower. It is so soothing to the eye and the trees are so tall and lovely.
Common name: Blue Jacaranda • Hindi: Neeli gulmohur
Not native to India, but cultivated for ornamental purposes. I read that if the tree receives too much water the leaves appear first and the beauty of the flower is lost! After flowering, woody disc shaped seed pods appear.
This was photographed at Secunderabad Club. 
Botanical name: Jacaranda mimosifolia Family: Bignoniaceae (jacaranda family)
Since the tree was tall and I could not take the picture of the flower at close quarters and till I get one sometime in future, I am putting up one from the www.flowersofindia.net here. ( seen below)
