Dombeya rotundifolia fading flowers

Delightfully white-flowered like an almond tree at the outset, the winter deciduous Dombeya rotundifolia presents its blooms brooking no interference from leaves. A real harbinger of spring, the tree is one of the earlier ones to respond to the rising temperatures of the season.

One should add that this dombeya does not always emulate the almond in whiteness: some trees flower slightly off-white in the direction of cream or pink.

The blooming runs its course until this brown discolouration appears. The dilatory leaves are still leaving them to it before making their entry (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Schmidt, et al, 2002).