Chinese tree flowers for the first time in 30 Years
A tree which has been described as extremely rare has begun to flower for the first time since it was planted 30 years ago.
The Emmenopterys Henryi which is located at Cambridge University is one of only five of these rare trees to flower in Britain since it was introduced in 1907. Dr Tim Upson who works at the university said the tree was a super tree and to see it flower is an extremely rare event. He said it could be a once in a lifetime and possibly a once in a generation opportunity to see this incredible tree flower.
Scientists at the university are hoping the tree will flowers for the next 2-3 weeks. The Emmenopterys Henryi has purple young shoots and has red leaves in spring which mature to a healthy green colour.
The first tree to flower in Britain was a Wakehurst Place in Sussex in 1987 but viewers had to wait another 23 years before the tree flowered again in 2010. A specimen of the tree has also flowered twice in Borde Hill, Sussex.
The Emmenopterys Henryi, which is a member of the coffee family, Rubiaceae, is a native tree to central and south-west China.
The flower tree was introduced to the UK by botanist Ernest Wilson in 1907 and it was named after Irish plant hunter, Augustine Henry, who was the first person to discover the flower tree in central china in 1887.