Rain Tree flower, Fan worm, any link?

During my FYP, i have learned how to identify a Rain tree (Samanea saman) and Angsana tree (Pterocarpus indicus) from my friend's project. They are the common big trees that are planted on the streets of Singapore which provide shades from the hot blazing sun. What caught my attention is the flower of the Rain tree.

The flower of Rain tree is pink and white bicoloured with powder brush-like feature. Bright attractive flowers usually attract insects for pollination.
On the first look, it looks like some marine worms i saw before.


Look like Fan worm or Tube worm?! The brush-like or feathery-like features are actually modified tentacles called radiole. They live in long tube which are usually hidden, sometimes underground. Their tentacles have eye spots which allows them to slip inside their tube when there's danger.

Are the any evolutionary relationship between them? I guess nope! Since both features are used for different purposes. Maybe the more you look at it, they don't actually look the same after all..!

Jatropha curcas

Finally my FYP has come to an end. I shall give a short introduction of the plant I have been worked on for the past four months.


Jatropha curcas belongs to the family of Euphorbiaceae. It is originated from Central America. Other names given are Physic Nut, Barbados Nut and Purging Nut. It's a hardy shrub that can grow up to a height of three to five metres. Jatropha curcas is monoecious (consist of both male and female reproductive units) and produces male and female flowers in the same inflorescence (a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem). Jatropha's fruits are also toxic and inedible.

So what's so great about this plant? In the past, Jatropha is used to make soaps, candles and used as traditional medicine. Currently, the oil from the seeds of Jatropha is being used as biodiesel. Flight test running on jatropha oil has been successful too. Therefore, it can be used as one of the alternative energy sources, which is sustainable and environmental friendly, in compacting global warming.



Interestingly, a close relative of Jatropha curcas, called Jatropha intergerrima, can be found on streets of Singapore. It has attractive small red flowers. I shall take a photo of it if i find one.