By Ashley Sim
KUCHING, Feb 2: There are only 12 days left until Valentine’s Day, and the ‘First Love’ tree is already in full bloom with bright yellow blossoms.
The ‘First Love’ tree, scientifically known as Xanthostemon chrysanthus and colloquially known as the Golden Penda, is planted abundantly along Jalan Sherip Masahor, according to Kuching South City Council (MBKS) Dato Wee Hong Seng, who was contacted today.
DayakDaily conducted checks in the vicinity and discovered that some of the flowering trees along the road are already blooming beautifully if one looks closely.
The magnificent, dense flower heads proudly bloom on branch ends, and are bright yellow with stunning extended stamens, which are the main feature of the flowers. From afar, a flowering tree could easily be mistaken for a fruiting rambutan tree.
According to a website, the Golden Penda was named ‘First Love’ by the British ages ago.
However, little information can be found online about how it got its name of ‘First Love’. It could be that when it is in peak bloom, people fell in love with the Golden Penda at first sight.
Because of its attractive flowers, the Golden Penda is frequently chosen to beautify parks and road sides.
Meanwhile, the Golden Penda, according to Wikipedia, can be propagated by seed or cuttings and grows well in subtropical gardens with good drainage and a sunny aspect. — DayakDaily
