A Malaysian Photo And Travel Blog

Title: Cannonball tree
Location: Penang Botanic Garden, Penang, Malaysia
Date: 22 November 2008, 12.29pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/8.0, ISO Equiv.: 100

A flowering cannonball tree. This is the first time in my life seeing a cannonball tree. These tree was brought to Penang from Colombo, Sri Lanka. Visitors can see these amazing plants along the entrance of the garden. It has large-sized flowers and a humongous fruit that look like a cannonball! A NOT-TO-BE-MISSED side attraction!

The flowers come from special branches on the lower part of the trunk, and may appear only after the tree reaches at least 5 m tall. The are big, and gorgeous. 6 red petals that exhalate a sweet scent (some people find it disgusting, but I think it's delicious). The stamens come in two types: the long, sterile ones are joined together on an structure called "urceolus", white with pink tips that look like a sea anemone; the fertile ones are short and form a disk around the ovarium. The flowers usually attract large bees and more rarely beetles.

The fruits are brown, of the size of a bowling ball, or a handball, and have a hard shell. The white pulp rapidly turns dark when in contact with oxygen. The several seeds contain an oil that will keep them alive for a while, I don't know how long, though.

Facts in italic are taken from http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/57539/

Title: Cannonball flower
Location: Penang Botanic Garden, Penang, Malaysia
Date: 22 November 2008, 12.29pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/8.0, ISO Equiv.: 100

An interesting flower. I can only use one word to describe the smell of this flower - P.A.R.A.D.I.S.E

Title: Aah! I feel GOOD!
Location: Penang Botanic Garden, Penang, Malaysia
Date: 22 November 2008, 1.39pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/5.6, ISO Equiv.: 160

I've never felt so great in my life. The water is crystal clear and icy cold. It's the best sensation by far. You can actually see the tanning of my leg due to the intense heat in Penang - I was wearing a pair of rubber slippers during my entire trip.


Title: Monkey in koala pose
Location: Penang Botanic Garden, Penang, Malaysia
Date: 22 November 2008, 1.08pm
Camera: Nikon D60 with Aperture: f/4.6, ISO Equiv.: 1 400

A cynomolgus monkey pretending to be a koala. Look at the body language :) This picture is not dramatic enough! I wanted to go closer to have a clearer shot, but this monkey was hissing like a snake! Better be safe than sorry :) I had the impression that this feisty little mammal wanna leap to my face and do something stupid.

You can check out my Batu Caves travelogue to view better version of monkeys in action. Click here http://myloismylife.blogspot.com/search/label/Batu%20Caves