Yellow is the King’s color. Consequently it is popular to plant things with yellow flowers. It’s amazing how many tree species there are with yellow flowers. Not only are there planted trees, there are a lot of wild ones as well.
Today when I was bicycling I was surprised to see a bunch of unfamiliar yellow blooms on the road that had fallen off of a tree. I quickly turned my bike around to investigate. As I picked up a bloom, it was apparent to me that it must be some kind of gardenia. A quick sniff caught a pleasant fragrance that seemed to confirm this.
The Golden Gardenia is native to the dry forests of Thailand (“dry” meaning that there is a significant dry season when many trees lose their leaves.)
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| Gardenia sootepensis (Rubiaceae) Golden Gardenia, คำมอกหลวง |
When I think of all the amazing diversity just in the yellow flowers of Thailand, I am in awe of such a creative God that could put such things together. I think of the King of Thailand, who appears quite majestic when decked out in his golden outfits, yet which pales in comparison to the clothing that God has placed on his creation.
Jesus said: Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. (Matthew 6:28, 29)
Below is a sampling of some of the yellow flowered trees in Thailand. Were I to add shrubs, and ground covers and vines, it would be a much larger set of photos.
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| Tabebuia aurea (Bignoniaceae) Silver Trumpet Tree, เหลืองปรีดียาธร |
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| Cochlospermum religiosum (Bixaceae) Silk-cotton tree ฝ้ายคำ |
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Cochlospermum regium (Bixaceae)
yellow cotton tree, ฝ้ายคำ |
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Pterocarpus indicus (Fabaceae: Faboideae)
paduak, ประดู่บ้าน |
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Peltophorum inerme (Fabaceae: Caesalpinioideae)
Yellow poinciana, นนทรี |
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Cajanus cajan (Fabaceae: Faboideae)
pigeonpea, ถั่วแระ |
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| Acacia auriculiformis (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae) Black Wattle, กระถินณรงค์ |
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| Senna surattensis (Fabaceae: Caesalpinioideae) scrambled eggs, ทรงบาดาล |
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| Cassia fistula (Fabaceae: Caesalpinioideae) golden shower tree, ราชพฤกษ์ |
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| Cassia alata (Fabaceae: Caesalpinioideae) Candle bush, ชุมเห็ดเทศ |
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| Senna spectabilis (Fabaceae: Caesalpinioideae) สุวรรณพฤกษ์ |
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| Senna siamea (Fabaceae: Caesalpinioideae) Siamese cassia, ขี้เหล็กไทย |
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| Ochna integerrima (Ochnaceae) Mickey Mouse Tree, มิกกี้เมาส์, ช้างน้าว |
