
I always thought Vincent van Gogh’s cypress trees looked flame-shaped – so I’ve corrected the colour…
Trees are green, right? So I suppose it’s not surprising that people have taken notice when a tree is red. And many times on different continents they have likened it to fire. So here I am going to look at the various flame trees and burning bushes…
I’ll tell you what got me thinking about this – it was my Euonymus alatus – also known as the winged spindle tree. At this time of year you can see why it has another name – burning bush or fire bush.
But for the rest of the year you wouldn’t look twice at this little tree, whose family name Euonymus means “of good name”, perhaps referring ironically to the fact that it is poisonous to animals. You might notice the winged twigs that give it the Latin description “alatus”, and occasionally the small yellowish flowers. But I have never noticed the little red berries of this tree.
By the way, it’s called a spindle-tree because the wood of some trees in the Euonymus family were indeed used to make spindles for spinning wool.
There is another burning bush, Latin name Bassia scoparia. As usual, click on the images to go to the source of the pictures…
Of course when we in the west think of a burning bush we often recall the Biblical story of Moses, to whom God apparently appeared in a burning bush to tell him to lead the captive Israelites out of Egypt and to the promised land. It’s a great image, but according to Wikipedia it may be based on a mistranscription. The Hebrew word seneh appears only twice in the Bible and is translated as bush (or brambles). But some think it was actually the word for Sinai, as this place was sometimes known as the burning mountain.
But let’s hold on to our imagery for now…

Traditional image of God appearing to Moses in a burning bush, from St Isaac’s Cathedral, St Petersburg…

This is a very sci-fi image called Burning Bush by Casimir K Rodetzky – it’s the sort of picture that makes you want to find a plot to go with it – are those drops of rain or alien spacecraft?
Enough of burning bushes – what about flame trees? My first thought is “The Flame Trees of Thika”. This was a series on TV when I was a child, although I recall nothing about it. Originally it was a book by Elspeth Huxley, about her childhood in Kenya, and because I follow my thoughts, I have just bought it to read on my Kindle.

A more fiery cover for The Flame Trees of Thika, from pre-decimal (before 1973) times – the price says 5/- (five shillings)…
According to Wikipedia there are several “flame trees” in the world, most of them referring to the flowers of the tree, rather than the leaves. I think those in Thika may have been Delonix regia – the royal poinciana…
Another African native is the Nandi flame tree, Spathodea campanulata, which grows in the tropical dry forests and is also known as the African tulip tree…
Erythrina is a genus of tropical and subtropical plants, many of which are commonly called flame trees, although some are also called coral trees because of the shape of the branches.

An Asian pied starling feeding on an Indian coral tree (Erythrina variegata) in Kolkata – it’s also sometimes called a flame tree…
Butea monosperma is a close relative of the coral tree mentioned above and in fact some people call it Erythrina monosperma. It’s also called the parrot tree but more relevant here is that it is often called the flame of the forest and grows all the way across the Indian subcontinent and South East Asia.
Not all flame trees are red. There is the yellow flame tree, Peltophorum pterocarpum, which has yellow blooms and is a native of South East Asia…
In eastern Australia there is the Illawarra flame tree, Brachychiton acerifolius…
I’m not even convinced that people call this next one a flame tree, although Wikipedia lists it in that category. Nuytsia floribunda is a hemiparasitic tree more often called the Western Australian Christmas tree. It’s a member of the mistletoe family.
Whenever you see an official plant name that doesn’t look like proper Latin, you know it must be named after a person – in this case the 17th century Dutch explorer and colonial official Pieter Nuyts. For more plants named after people, see my blog post Who would YOU name a plant after?

Bright flowers of Nuytsia floribunda, a relative of mistletoe that blooms around Christmas time in Australia…
In South America you will find the Chilean firebush, Embothrium coccineum…
Another South American native is not so much a tree as a climber, Pyrostegia venusta (formerly called Bignonia ignea or Pyrostegia ignea), known as the flame vine or orange trumpet vine, which grows (and looks) like a house on fire…
In the case of Koelreuteria bipinnata, the Chinese flame tree, the name refers not to the flowers or leaves, but to the bright pink fruits…
And finally thanks to Rita Roberts (see comments) for mentioning Pyracantha – also known as firethorn. Nice one…
Well, that was all very warming on a cold day, wasn’t it?
Hi Pat, As always, great post.Wonderful colours. By the way does the Pyrecanthus count here.
Thanks for that – indeed, I have now added the lovely “firethorn” to the post…
Good Morning Pat..Beautiful photos of some awesome shrubs/trees..very interesting info, both the researched and your own touch.Thanks for sharing..hope you are enjoying the Fall weather…have a wonderful day..
Thanks KJ. Indeed, our “autumn” is taking a long time to fall this year. There is still a lot of gold around, but not so much red in my Liquidambar this year…
An interesting read. The photo of burning bushes and Cosmos in China is amazing; it’s like a fairy land. Thanks for posting.
Thank you. Indeed that picture almost looks like a cartoon!
Best wishes – for you I guess winter’s on its way and it’s time to paint 🙂
Well you certainly found some lovely colour in your search for flame trees, I love it when you do these sort of posts – there is always something to learn.
Thank you. Indeed I do love to do these sort of posts as I learn something, too…
Best wishes 🙂
Gorgeous (not you haha) Definitely warming! Curious about the book too now …
Thanks for that! I’m never sure whether I should be talking to you about books here, on Twitter or over on Jera’s Jamboree…
Woman in Black was good (although the end was a bit predictable but satisfying) – and now I’m on to The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern – I don’t think you have ever reviewed that one?
I have The Night Circus at a bottom of a pile. Be interested to hear your opinion Pat.
Put it on top of the pile! It’s absolutely magical, very visual and atmospheric! I am only just over half way through, but loving the journey…
Well that definitely sounds worth a read! Can’t wait for end of term to catch up with my reading!
(that would be Cape Town, we write it in two words in English, Kaapstad in Afrikaans)
Oh dear! I’ve corrected it now. That just didn’t cross my mind at all, it’s funny how some things you get wrong for years and don’t question. I once had an old family friend called Moates and I didn’t realise there was an E on the end until she died!
In the UK we have two towns called Newquay (Cornwall) and New Quay (Wales). I know that one because it’s in our newspaper style book…
Best wishes – I’m loving all your South African spring flowers over at Elephant’s Eye…
I would not have expected you to improve on van Gogh but your red-tree version delights in a way the original does not. I’m fascinated by the field of burning bushes and cosmos. I thought I’d seen burning bushes – but, clearing not. Who could forget such plants? (Or have you jazzed them up too?)
Thank you. And no, I didn’t “jazz up” that picture. I suppose the original photographer may have, but if so, I was taken in by it! Or I suppose someone could have gone around spraying the little round bushes pink!
Certainly memorable in a dream-like kind of way…
Best wishes 🙂
Hello Pat…wonderful post..sorry I have been away.. My Mom had cancer and passed last month…am getting back to blog visits again…Michelle
I have been following your blog through all your trials and tribulations and I am so glad you are coming through it all now. And here I must give you the biggest apology for not leaving a comment for you during those difficult times. I always doubt myself when I try to say something comforting and worry that it will come out as the wrong thing or sound like a platitude. But I really was thinking of you – and also found your mother’s paintings uplifting.
Best wishes for the future 🙂
I know what you mean about what to say..I never know so I understand. Thank you… There must be 200 painting that we have done by Mom and none of us know the story to any of them. She hoarded her own work….Michelle
It’s an interesting thought, whether art is for public entertainment or personal therapy…
Best wishes again for the future 🙂
Rambling Woods..sorry for your loss..my mum did the same thing with her paintings. More important how do you perceive them, as they were her thoughts brought to the canvas..interpert them as you see fit..just like Mother Nature has done on the pics of Pat’s site..just a thought…
Pat…hope this was not inappropriate for me to add..have a wonderful day.
No problem – and do go over and look at Michelle’s nature blog sometime. I think she has removed her non-nature posts from the difficult days she went through recently, though.
May contentment be with both of you…
Thank you KJ..I appreciate it.. My Mother was at once a very intelligent, creative and compassionate person while being difficult, stubborn and frustrating…Her paintings were always for her as if they were meant for us, she would have given them to her children. She always said that giving them away would be like giving away a child…so I guess I must take what I can from them now….Michelle
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