Needle Flower Tree

Description:

I spotted this Needle Flower Tree with shiny green leaves and 4-5" tubular white flowers in Costa Rica. There were also hard round fruits on the same tree, locally called monkey fruits, and the scent from the flowers was heavenly. Since these are white and have long tubes, it is thought that they are pollinated at night by moths, perhaps hawkmoths.

Habitat:

These were found in tropical forest, on a steep slope leading down to the Pacific Ocean.

Notes:

I carried one of these flowers along with me on my hike, sniffing it at regular intervals for the sheer pleasure of it.