Picture of the Day: Pink and White Shower

The cassia javanica var. indochinesis is blossoming now

 Spring is definitely in Hong Kong, and one tree that has blossomed is the cassia javanica var. indochinesis (節果決明) -- and there are only a handful in Hong Kong, one of the oldest ones is at the boutique hotel The Murray Hong Kong in Central. 

It was originally from Hawaii and grows extensively through tropical Indochina. When it flowers in April and May, the tree is also nicknamed "pink and white shower".

Looking up at the pink and white shower

This type of tree usually has a lifespan of 50 to 60 years, but the one at The Murray, previously the government building called Murray Building, is actually around 70 years old.

As a result it is registered with the government tree registry as an old and valuable tree, or OVT.

But from a photography point of view it's actually quite hard to take a decent picture of it, as it looks nice from far away, but up close the blossoms are sparse, not like cherry blossoms.

Nevertheless, it was nice to capture the tree in the midst of its "pink and white shower", hopefully for a few more weeks to come.