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32-547: The ratchaphruek ( Cassia fistula ), or golden shower tree , is the de facto national flower of Thailand . Its yellow blossoms correspond to Monday, the birthday of Bhumibol. It is also named "Khun" or "Rajapruek". The event was located on 80 hectares of land at the Royal Agricultural Research Center in the Mae Hia sub-district, Mueang district , Chiang Mai Province in northern Thailand . The 92 days of

64-470: A European species, Xylocopa violacea ; however, this species is found only in the northern regions of Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab , and most reports of bhanvra , especially elsewhere in India, refer to any of roughly 15 other common black Xylocopa species in the region, such as X. nasalis , X. tenuiscapa , or X. tranquebarorum . Non-professionals commonly confuse carpenter bees with bumblebees ;

96-503: A cathartic made from the pulp is sometimes added to tobacco. Cassia fistula flower extract displayed an anti-aging properties when introduced to the human skin fibroblast and has a variety of cosmetic and nutritional applications. It displays an ability to cause hypopigmentation and can be applied as a whitening agent. Cassia fistula is both the national tree and national flower of Thailand – in Thai ratchaphruek (Thai: ราชพฤกษ์) and

128-434: A division of labor between them occurs sometimes. In this type of nesting, multiple females either share in the foraging and nest laying, or one female does all the foraging and nest laying, while the other females guard. Solitary species differ from social species. Solitary bees tend to be gregarious and often several nests of solitary bees are near each other. In solitary nesting, the founding bee forages, builds cells, lays

160-659: A soupy mass and others form simple spheroidal pollen masses, Xylocopa species form elongated and carefully sculpted masses that have several projections which keep the bulk of the mass from coming into contact with the cell walls, sometimes resembling an irregular caltrop . The eggs are very large relative to the size of the female, and are some of the largest eggs among all insects. Carpenter bees can be timber pests, and cause substantial damage to wood if infestations go undetected for several years. Two very different mating systems appear to be common in carpenter bees, and often this can be determined simply by examining specimens of

192-971: Is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae . The species is native to the Indian subcontinent and adjacent regions of Southeast Asia . It is the official state flower of Kerala state and Delhi UT in India . It is also a popular ornamental plant and is also used in herbal medicine . The golden shower tree is a medium-sized tree, growing to 10–20 m (33–66 ft) tall with fast growth. The leaves are deciduous , 15–60 cm (6–24 in) long, and pinnate with three to eight pairs of leaflets, each leaflet 7–21 cm (3–8 in) long and 4–9 cm ( 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 – 3 + 1 ⁄ 2  in) broad. The flowers are produced in pendulous racemes 20–40 cm (8–16 in) long, each flower 4–7 cm ( 1 + 5 ⁄ 8 – 2 + 3 ⁄ 4  in) diameter with five yellow petals of equal size and shape. The fruit

224-452: Is a legume , 30–60 cm (12–24 in) long and 1.5–2.5 cm ( 9 ⁄ 16 –1 in) broad, with a pungent odor and containing several seeds. The tree has strong and very durable wood, and has been used to construct "Ehela Kanuwa", a site at Adam's Peak , Sri Lanka , which is made of C. fistula ( ahala, ehela , or aehaela , ඇහැල in Sinhala ) heartwood. The golden shower tree

256-473: Is by far the more widely distributed species. In several species, the females live alongside their own daughters or sisters, creating a small social group. They use wood bits to form partitions between the cells in the nest. A few species bore holes in wood dwellings. Since the tunnels are near the surface, structural damage is generally minor or superficial. However, carpenter bee nests are attractive to woodpeckers , which may do further damage by drilling into

288-452: Is known as "cassia pods". Within developing countries, approximately 80% of populations prefer the usage of traditional medicine to resolve primary medical symptoms. The medicines and drugs derived from plants along with other herbal formulations are considered low risk and have less side effects in comparison to modern medicine by many locals especially within the Asian communities. In India,

320-504: Is not a nitrogen fixer. Cassia fistula is widely grown as an ornamental plant in tropical and subtropical areas. It blooms in late spring/early summer in hot, dry weather. Flowering is profuse, with trees being covered with yellow flowers, many times with almost no visible leaves. It grows well in dry climates. Growth for this tree is best in full sun on well-drained soil; it is relatively drought-tolerant and slightly salt-tolerant. It will tolerate light brief frost, but can get damaged if

352-492: Is often a perfectly circular hole measuring about 16 mm (0.63 in) on the underside of a beam, bench, or tree limb. Carpenter bees do not eat wood. They discard the bits of wood, or reuse particles to build partitions between cells. The tunnel functions as a nursery for brood and storage for the pollen/nectar upon which the brood subsists. The provision masses of some species are among the most complex in shape of any group of bees; whereas most bees fill their brood cells with

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384-615: The Fabaceae . However many carpenter bees " rob " nectar by slitting the sides of flowers with deep corollae . Xylocopa virginica is one example of a species with such nectar robbing behavior. With their short labia the bees cannot reach the nectar without piercing the long-tubed flowers; they miss contact with the anthers and perform no pollination. In some plants, this reduces fruit and seed production, while others have developed defence mechanisms against nectar robbing. When foraging for pollen from some species with tubular flowers however,

416-694: The Vishu festival of Kerala which falls in the month of April. The tree has been depicted on a 20- rupee stamp. The tree is frequently cultivated in Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka where the Sinhala name is Ehela , ඇහැල. The tree is also the provincial tree of the North Central Province of Sri Lanka. In Laos , its blooming flowers known locally as dok khoun are associated with the Lao New Year . People use

448-648: The airstream behind the male while it flies or hovers. The pheromone advertises the presence of the male to females. Male bees often are seen hovering near nests and will approach nearby animals. However, males are harmless, since they do not have a stinger. Female carpenter bees are capable of stinging, but they are docile and rarely sting unless caught in the hand or otherwise directly provoked. Woodpeckers eat carpenter bees, as do various species of birds, such as shrikes and bee-eaters as well as some mammals such as ratels . Other predators include large mantises and predatory flies, particularly large robber-flies of

480-534: The blossoms are commonly referred to as dok khun (Thai: ดอกคูน). Its yellow flowers symbolize Thai royalty . A 2006–2007 flower festival, the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek , was named after the tree. Cassia fistula is also featured on a 2003 joint Canadian -Thai design for a 48- cent stamp, part of a series featuring national emblems . The Indian laburnum is the state flower of Kerala . The flowers are of ritual importance in preparation of Kani during

512-426: The cold persists. It can be subject to mildew or leaf spot , especially during the second half of the growing season. The tree blooms better with pronounced differences between summer and winter temperatures. Various species of bees and butterflies are known to be pollinators of C. fistula flowers, especially carpenter bees ( Xylocopa sp.). In 1911, Robert Scott Troup conducted an experiment to determine how

544-466: The eggs, and guards. Normally, only one generation of bees live in the nest. Xylocopa pubescens is one carpenter bee species that can have both social and solitary nests. Carpenter bees make nests by tunneling into wood, bamboo, and similar hard plant material such as peduncles , usually dead. They vibrate their bodies as they rasp their mandibles against hard wood, each nest having a single entrance which may have many adjacent tunnels. The entrance

576-412: The expo featured 30 international gardens reflecting nations such as Japan, South Korea, Belgium, Netherlands, South Africa, and Canada. More than 2.5 million trees of 2,200 species of tropical plants and flowers were on display in this exhibition. The Association of International Horticultural Producers ( AIPH ), gave this expo A1 status, its highest level. Such exhibitions occur only once a year throughout

608-421: The exposition had injected 27 billion baht into the regional economy. The Thai government has proposed transforming the site of the exposition into a permanent training center. Despite some complaints of corruption and substandard facilities, organizers believed the exposition achieved its goals of promoting tourism and developing Thai horticultural industries. The park was open to the public in 2008 with many of

640-465: The flowers as offerings at the temple, and also hang them in their homes for the New Year in belief that the flowers will bring happiness and good luck to the households. The laburnum is the school tree of National Taiwan Normal University , thought to be because of the seed pods' similarity to the whips used by teachers in times past. Carpenter bee See text Carpenter bees are species in

672-593: The front wing is narrow and elongated, and its apex bends away from the costa . The front wing has small stigma. When closed, the bee's short mandibles conceal the labrum . The clypeus is flat. Males of many species have much larger eyes than the females, which relates to their mating behavior. In the United States, two eastern species, Xylocopa virginica and X. micans , occur. Three more species are primarily western in distribution, X. sonorina , X. tabaniformis orpifex , and X. californica . X. virginica

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704-589: The genus Xylocopa of the subfamily Xylocopinae . The genus includes some 500 bees in 31 subgenera. The common name "carpenter bee" derives from their nesting behavior; nearly all species burrow into hard plant material such as dead wood or bamboo . The main exceptions are species in the subgenus Proxylocopa , which dig nesting tunnels in suitable soil. Many species in this enormous genus are difficult to tell apart; most species are all black, or primarily black with some yellow or white pubescence. Some differ only in subtle morphological features, such as details of

736-479: The golden shower tree is known as aragvadha , meaning "disease killer". The fruit pulp is considered a purgative , and self-medication or any use without medical supervision is strongly advised against in Ayurvedic texts. Though it has been used in herbalism for millennia, little research has been conducted in modern times, although it is an ingredient in some mass-produced herbal laxatives. When used as such, it

768-449: The male genitalia. Males of some species differ confusingly from the females, being covered in greenish-yellow fur. The confusion of species arises particularly in the common names ; in India, for example, the common name for any all-black species of Xylocopa is bhanvra (or bhomora - ভোমোৰা - in Assamese ), and reports and sightings of bhanvra or bhomora are commonly misattributed to

800-401: The males of any given species. Species in which the males have large eyes are characterized by a mating system where the males either search for females by patrolling, or by hovering and waiting for passing females, which they then pursue. In the other mating system, the males often have very small heads, but a large, hypertrophied glandular reservoir in the mesosoma releases pheromones into

832-483: The nest, or on other harmful mites. As a subfamily, they nest in a wide range of host plants, but any one species may show definite adaptations or preferences for particular groups of plants. Carpenter bees are traditionally considered solitary bees, though some species have simple social nests in which mothers and daughters may cohabit. Examples of this type of social nesting can be seen in the species Xylocopa sulcatipes and Xylocopa nasalis . When females cohabit,

864-470: The past highlights still very much in evidence, including the international exhibits. It is thought that it will remain to stay open as a valued addition to things to do in Chiang Mai. The park receives around 500 visitors a day at the moment, mainly Thai. Cassia fistula Cassia fistula , also known as golden shower , purging cassia , Indian laburnum , kani konna , or pudding-pipe tree ,

896-481: The same species of carpenter bees still achieve pollination, if the anthers and stigmata are exposed together. Many Old World carpenter bees have a special pouch-like structure on the inside of their first metasomal tergite called the acarinarium where certain mites ( Dinogamasus species) reside as commensals . The exact nature of the relationship is not fully understood, though in other bees that carry mites, they are beneficial, feeding either on fungi in

928-458: The seeds of C. fistula are dispersed. He found that golden jackals feed on the fruits and help in seed dispersal. It is used in Vishu festivals as a traditional trademark in Kerala. In India, flowers of the golden shower tree are sometimes eaten by people. The leaves have also been used to supplement the diets of cattle, sheep, and goats fed with low-quality forages. In Ayurvedic medicine ,

960-401: The simplest rule of thumb for telling them apart is that most carpenter bees have a shiny abdomen, whereas bumblebee abdomens are completely covered with dense hair. Males of some species of carpenter bees have a white or yellow face, unlike bumblebees, while females lack the bare corbicula of bumblebees; the hind leg is entirely hairy. The wing venation is characteristic; the marginal cell in

992-431: The wood to feed on the bees or larvae. Carpenter bees have short mouthparts and are important pollinators on some open-faced or shallow flowers; for some they even are obligate pollinators, for example the maypop ( Passiflora incarnata ) and Orphium , which are not pollinated by any other insects. They also are important pollinators of flowers with various forms of lids, such as Salvia species and some members of

Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2006 - Misplaced Pages Continue

1024-467: The world. In addition, a host country can only hold one such exhibition once a decade. The festival included many highlights to attract tourists: The Thai government had expected an average of 20,000 visitors per day, with over 100,000 visitors on a crowded day, and 3 million visitors in total to attend the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2006. At the exposition's conclusion, organizers claimed that

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