The colour of the yellow poui is so vibrant that you can't find it on a colour chart. It has an intensity that is almost shocking. These trees pop into bloom one after the other all over Trinidad and the flowers completely cover the tree before gentlly falling to the ground. To flower the tree sheds most (if not all) of its leaves and gives a last hurrah with these saffron bells. By the time the last flower falls off, the tree is bursting with new life and sending forth tender leaflets. I have three in my garden and they stubbornly refuse to bloom. One is looking as if its thinking about trying the experience by tentatively dropping a leaf here and there just to tease me. The poui typically flowers three times times during the dry season with the last flowering said to be the precursor to the rainy season.
The first flowers from my large white begonia. This is not the "bread and cheese" variety but another one with a large green leaf. It is aggressively vigourous but has taken almost two years to bloom. The flower is far sweeter and more demure than many other begonias which makes me think this is probably good old pure stock who has spent time evolving to suit the tropical environment.