Realms of Gold

 It is my end day at the Daintree and I guess that the most lasting memory will be the sheer number and variety of species of plants. When I arrived the forest just looked like an undifferentiated wall of green, then gradually you realise that there are some bits that are recognisable, such as the wild ginger stems swaying like reeds in the understory and the big green hands and red horns of the flowering Queensland Umbrella tree. Then there comes a moment when each plant becomes an individual, although with no name tag and the slow work of trying to match the leaf, flower or fruit in front of you with a text book picture begins.
These are the flowers and fruit of two enormous trees half way around Tribulation Bay.
The red fruit is from the Golden Guinea (Dilenia alata) tree. It has a dusky maroon bark that glows in the shadows and a pure gold flower, hence its name. It was first described by Joseph Banks a mile or two along the coast from where I found it.
The other is still a work in progress. The bark is grey and scaly and these flowers are so highly scented they drown out the muddy-foot smell of the mangroves.
Named or un-named I think they are both utterly beautiful.