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Apr 07, 2021 / 08:23

Uniquely in Hanoi: the 300-year-old Bun Flower Tree in full bloom

The “treasure" tree of Dinh Thon village is in full bloom with wonderful bright yellow flowers in late Spring.

The only Bun Flower Tree in Hanoi is planted in front of the Cultural House of Dinh Thon village. Initially, the brilliant flowers have the pure white color, then turn bright yellow when they are in full bloom, releasing a mild sweet fragrance. 

The tree is also known as Bach hoa or Man man (Capparaceae) which blooms only once a year in late March or early April.
According to villagers, the tree has a lifespan of hundreds of years. From the old trunk, two large branches grow with wide canopy.
The tree is 30 meter high with a big canopy of around 40meter wide, shading over the alley No 176, Dinh Thon village. 

Each flower carries 13 to 18 stamens, each with about 10 centimeters long. The plural stamina is in purple color. When the flowers are about to bloom, the stamens rising out of the flower petals look like a spider’s tiny legs. 

The beautiful and unique flowers are short-lived, just one month.

The flowers grow in clusters, the ones in the middle of the cluster are white while the outer flowers are yellow. The fragrance of the flowers is most intense at night and early in the morning.

At the season of Bun Flowers, professional photographers as well as amateurs cannot resist the temptation to capture beautiful photos here.

Bun trees often grow wild in the central provinces of Quang Nam, Quang Binh and Thua Thien - Hue and are rarely planted in big cities of Vietnam. The Bun flower tree in Dinh Thon village, My Dinh ward, Nam Tu Liem has been so far the only and oldest in Hanoi.