Stunning moments of little red airplanes flying across the starry sky

About the author: One Hand Brush One Hand Flower: Landscape architecture major, has deeply loved plants and nature since childhood, hopes to always work in plant-related fields. In this world, only beautiful flowers and delicious food are not to be let down. Weibo @One Hand Brush One Hand Flower

Narrow-leaved heteropterys, red fruits spread their wings and fly, yellow flowers like stars.

Narrow-leaved heteropterys (Heteropterys angustifolia) belongs to the genus Heteropterys in the family Malpighiaceae. Native to Central and South America, it is cultivated in southern regions of China such as Guangdong and Guangxi. Although this plant is named a vine, it does not look very "vine-like" - only some new shoots show slight twining tendency, and in landscaping it is mostly used as a shrub. It has strong adaptability, grows vigorously and tolerates pruning well, and is commonly used as hedges or in flower borders.

The stems of narrow-leaved heteropterys are slender, with opposite, narrow and long leaves, prominent midribs, and pointed leaf tips. The leaf shape resembles willow, but with more strength than willow leaves. Its combination of yellow flowers and red fruits is the same color scheme as the flowers and fruits of goldenrain tree (Koelreuteria), but unlike the goldenrain tree which blooms first and fruits later in an orderly, clearly defined seasonal sequence, its flowers and fruits often appear together, competing in beauty, and may even continue year-round without rest. It is so diligent that one cannot say whether the flowers are more graceful or the fruits more colorful.

Many five-petaled plants have flower buds that swell into a five-pointed star shape, and narrow-leaved heteropterys is no exception. Combined with its dazzling golden flower color, the plump buds have clear angular edges, like little golden stars blinking their eyes, holding their breath and waiting to bloom. When the five petals unfurl to reveal the golden stamens, together they paint a brilliant starry sky.

The image above shows narrow-leaved heteropterys, the image below shows mapleleaf (Acer fabri)

Seeing the small red winged fruits of narrow-leaved heteropterys, one cannot help but think of plants in the genus Acer. Especially Acer fabri, which also has bright red small winged fruits. This inevitably makes one wonder: why are their fruits so similar? Why do two plants from different families, even different orders, show such "distant" similarity? The APG classification system for plants reveals the connection between the two: they converge at a point just a few branches back on the angiosperm evolutionary tree. Such similarity may be very common among living things - for example, humans share more or less commonalities with monkeys, with fish, and even with worms...

APG system angiosperm evolutionary tree, Acer fabri belongs to Sapindales, Heteropterys belongs to Malpighiales

The red fruits of narrow-leaved heteropterys are bright and beautiful, like little airplanes. Several to a dozen little airplanes gathered together, handfuls of red splendor on the branches. When a gentle breeze passes, the little wings tremble and quiver, as if they could soar straight up ninety thousand li, competing with the stars in brilliance. As if they could exceed the speed of light, tracing back to the moment when life was first created.

Red wings, crossing the stars, how I wish to sit in a little airplane, pluck the brightest star, and give it to you.

Author: One Hand Brush One Hand Flower

Images: One Hand Brush One Hand Flower

This work is licensed under the (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license agreement

Please retain the above statement when reproducing