Red Powder Puff

I was delighted to notice this Red Powder Puff plant in the Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo yesterday! I had seen a few photos posted by other people and was longing to see one for myself. I had imagined the flowers to be much larger than they actually are. Such an amazing flower!

"Native to Bolivia, Red Powder Puff is an evergreen shrub or small tree. It was formerly included in the legume or pea family, but has recently been shifted into the mimosa family. It typically grows 10-15’ tall in its native habitat and is a very popular flowering shrub in central and southern Florida where it will survive year-round in the ground. Bipinnately compound leaves (5-10 pairs of leaflets per pinna) open copper-pink but mature to dark green. Raspberry-like flower buds open to hemispherical red powder puff flower heads (to 3” across) consisting of masses of scarlet stamens. Blooms primarily in fall and winter, but sporadic additional bloom may occur throughout the rest of the year. Variations in flower color exist, with some pink and white forms being available. Calliandra comes from the Greek words kallos meaning beauty and andros meaning stamen." From www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp.