Octopus Tree Berries

Octopus Tree Berries - Schefflera actinophylla at Aditi Garden, Pune, IN
Octopus tree Berries – These are the favourite berries of many birds and animals!
Common Names: Octopus Tree, Queensland Umbrella Tree, Brassaia and amate
Botanical name: Schefflera actinophylla    Family: Araliaceae (Aralia family)
Native to northern Australia and south-eastern New Guinea
More about Octopus Tree: 
Tropical evergreen shrub with multiple trunks. Grows 12m-15m in height in mild to warm climates. Popular as a decorative indoor plant. Compound leaves that radiate from a stalk resulting in umbrella like structure. Hence the name Umbrella tree. Leaves are the favourite food of Bennett’s Tree-Kangaroos.
Flowering period is from early summer to fall. Octopus like inflorescence with 10-20 racemes (long stalks) bearing up to 1000 nectar-richsmall dull red flowers. Flowers attract birds. Dark berries appear later on. The fruits are eaten by many birds and animals including musky rat-kangaroos, red-legged pademelons and spectacled flying foxes

Octopus Tree Berries - Schefflera actinophylla at Aditi Garden, Pune, IN
Octopus Tree – I had thought I was capturing flowers, but, they were actually fruits! Wish I could see the flowers some day!
It was early spring days, when I clicked this unique plant at Aditi Garden, Pune. It is only when I looked for its details I realised that it is a fruit! I am sure I tell this always, but, still can’t control myself appreciating the creativity of nature! Wish I had been more patient to click them better!
 
Identification Credits:
Reference:

 
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About Sindhu

A nature lover and dreamer who expresses herself as an artist, fashion designer and blogger. Persued B.Sc fashion design at Karavali College (Mangaluru University 2003 - 2006) with first rank. Former lecturer for fashion designing at Gloria College, Puttur for five years (2006-2011). Blogger since 2013.

23 Comments

  1. lol, i thought they were flowers.

  2. The tree laden with berries looks wonderful. Thanks for sharing.
    Have a great day!
    Regards,
    Kiran.

  3. Beautiful berries. You have a good eye for nature's beauty – flowers, fruits, foliage πŸ™‚

  4. Beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

  5. I didn't know the name till now πŸ™‚

  6. For me too this was a first, I didn't know about this beautiful tree. Have you ever tried cropping your pictures?

  7. Superb. I am seeing these for the first time. But a real feast for the eyes. I enjoyed all the pictures

  8. Lovely captures!

  9. Hi Sindhu,
    Nice Clicks.. I visit your blog because I get some beautiful pics, which i use as a wall paper on my laptop & Phones….. fantastic ..
    Thanks for sharing
    Have a great day Ahead
    Regards
    Bhavikk shah

  10. Sindhu, Really nice that you know the names of so many flowers.
    How do you know so many names?
    Many that you have presented here in different posts on your Blog, are new to me as I had never seen them before.
    Now I have seen, thanks to you πŸ™‚

  11. Even I had thought the same in the beginning! thanks for stopping by!

  12. Thanks for your visit and feedback Kiran πŸ™‚ TC! Good day to you too! Keep smiling πŸ™‚

  13. I love nature and I am a fan of mother nature πŸ™‚ Thanks Belooji for your kind words πŸ™‚ TC! Keep smiling πŸ™‚

  14. Isn't it? I too fell for its beauty… TC! Keep smiling πŸ™‚

  15. So, have you seen them? Wow! Na?

  16. Thank you for stopping by Mridula πŸ™‚ Yes, I crop pictures… First picture is cropped one. I wanted to show the leaves in the second one, so didn't crop it. Hmm, that twig peeping out in the first pic could have been cropped, isn't it?

  17. Thank you Prakash! Glad you like this post and pictures πŸ™‚ TC! Keep smiling πŸ™‚

  18. Thank you Deepakji πŸ™‚ Glad you like them πŸ™‚ TC! Keep smiling πŸ™‚

  19. Thank you Bhavikk! Ohh! That's a great compliment for an amateur photographer πŸ™‚ Thank you! TC! keep smiling πŸ™‚

  20. Thanks for your valuable words Anita πŸ™‚ I love to know about plants… I don't know the common/botanical names most of the times. I seek help of some websites line Flowers Of India πŸ™‚ Glad to know that you are interested about my posts on flowers πŸ™‚ TC! Keep smiling πŸ™‚

  21. lovely captures πŸ™‚ loved the close up view πŸ™‚

  22. Ill health? What Happened? Hope you are OK now.

  23. So kind of you, SG πŸ™‚ Nothing serious, but a viral fever that made me weak and took me away from blogosphere for two weeks… I guess, I had mentioned that in a comment to one of our common fellow blogger, you noticed it and came here to ask me! You are so sweet! I am thankful to you and to blogging that gifted me such good friends! TC! Keep smiling πŸ™‚

Your words make my day!