Beautiful pink fluff balls of the Black Bead....yes that's what it's called.
We’ve been going to the Sports Centre gym behind the IGA and for the past week or so I’ve noticed these bushes with pink flowers. I decided that I should do a post on all the flowering shrubs that are in the bush at this time of year and I wanted to include these pink shrubs. Today was the day and after a trip to the beach we swung down the road to the gym. The first bushes I stopped at had pink flowers too and this turned out to be the Bahama Mimosa also called Haul Back. The flowering seemed to be at the tail end and I took a few photos. A little ways further down, I saw it…….a breathtaking cluster of pink on a seven foot small tree. My book identified it as the Black Bead.
From January to April, and again from September to December, it becomes covered with clusters of puffy flowers, about an inch in diameter.
The flowers are reddish-pink puffballs with each filament tipped with yellow and with a lovely sweet fragrance. This of course is attractive to all pollinators such as bees and butterflies.
A close up of the Black Bead flower that looks much like fireworks!
Seed pods two to four inches long develop from the flowers and when they split, the black seeds are attached to a bright red arils. The birds enjoy the arils because they are sweet when ripe.
Beautiful wispy and delicate puff balls against a blue Provo sky.
The Black Bead got its name from the seeds which were used to make jewellery. Watch for these bushes or small trees as they are truly spectacular. I couldn’t pull myself away!
Marta