There’s a rare splash of turquoise appearing in the Cooktown Botanic Gardens this week and it is worth stopping by to see.
The spectacular Jade Vine, or Strongylodon macrobotrys, has begun to flower, giving you the chance to see one of the plant world’s most striking blooms right here in Cooktown. True blue and turquoise colours are uncommon among flowers, making the Jade Vine instantly recognisable and unique.
Growing on a frame between Nature’s Powerhouse outdoor dining area and the Bushtucker Garden, the vine is beginning to produce its distinctive hanging clusters of claw-shaped, blue-green flowers.
Cooktown’s warm, tropical climate gives this remarkable climber the conditions it needs to thrive, and when those first turquoise flowers appear, the result is something worth taking a closer look at.
There is plenty more to this tropical showstopper than its good looks:
• The Jade Vine is native to tropical forests, particularly on the island of Luzon.
• Its striking turquoise to blue-green blooms are genuinely unusual in the plant world.
• Despite looking very different, the Jade Vine belongs to the Fabaceae family, making it related to beans and peas.
• The hanging clusters are called racemes and can contain dozens of individual claw-shaped blooms.
• In ideal conditions, racemes can reach up to three metres.
• Bats help keep it blooming in the wild, they pollinate the flowers by hanging from the clusters while feeding on their nectar.
• The turquoise colour is a clever bit of nature, it does not come from one simple blue pigment, but from a combination of pigments, chemistry and the structure of the flower’s cells.
• Mature Jade Vines can become large, vigorous woody climbers with thick, rope-like stems.
With the Jade Vine now beginning to flower, the community is encouraged to stop by the Cooktown Botanic Gardens, take a closer look and enjoy the display while it lasts.
There is, however, one very important request: do not pick, remove or disturb the flowers.
Several blooms have already been taken from the vine since flowering began this week.
It might seem like taking just one flower, but every bloom removed means one less for the next family, visitor, photographer, garden-lover or curious passer-by hoping to experience something a little special.
This is a display for everyone to enjoy.
Take a photo, admire the colour and enjoy the moment, but please leave the flowers on the vine for the next person to see.