Do You Like Brazil Nuts? Meet Couroupita guianensis!

While skulking about the Fairchild Tropical Gardens with my camera in Miami, Florida, I saw and smelled a most amazing tree. It's called the Cannonball Tree and it hails from Brazil, where the nuts come from. In fact, it's first cousin to the Brazil Nut.

Couroupita guianensis, FTG, MR, 2014

The scent of the Cannonball flower is intoxicating, a mix of rose, peony, and a melange of spices. I was thoroughly charmed by this unique tree, and especially by the gorgeous scent of the blooms. Cannonball trees are grown all over the world now in tropical and semitropical zones. How I'd love one in my garden!