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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Elonore Hughes and Lucas Dumphreys

Rare palm trees flower for first time in decades before dying

Talipot palm trees, native to India and Sri Lanka, is in bloom for the first and only time in its life, in Aterro do Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro - (Associated Press/Lucas Dumphreys)

Rare talipot palms are flowering for the first and only time in their lives, decades after famous Brazilian landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx introduced them in the 1960s.

Towards the end of its life — which can span between 40 and 80 years — the palm tree sends up a towering central plume crowded with millions of small, creamy-white blossoms that rise high above its fan-shaped leaves.

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