The chicle tree is in bloom, and the smell is intoxicating!

There is a kind of green tree on the streets of Hainan. When it blooms, it looks very beautiful from a distance! But when you get closer and smell it, the smell is overwhelming... Yes, it is the sugar gum tree. It is usually a street tree, but once it blooms, the unpleasant smell immediately makes many people feel "high".

The sugar gum tree, also known as the rubber tree, lampstand tree, blackboard tree, milk tree, and devil tree , is an evergreen tree of the genus Apocynaceae. As a member of the Apocynaceae family, the sugar gum tree is unsurprisingly a bit poisonous, but don't panic, its smell is harmless to the human body, and it is the juice that is poisonous.

In addition to the sugar gum tree, other plants whose smell makes people so "intoxicated" include the mother tree, chinaberry, red-leaved photinia, tuberose , etc. The "strange smell" emitted by their flowers makes many people stay away from them, and they are often labeled as "stinky flowers".

According to gardening experts, the flowering period of chicle trees is from September to November each year , and the main component of the scent emitted by its flowers is linalool oxide , which is harmless. Linalool oxide also exists naturally in coriander and lavender.

This smell only appears during the flowering period, usually lasting for a few days, and then the flowers will wither and the smell will dissipate. People who are sensitive to the smell of the flowers of this tree should not touch the flowers, stems and leaves of this tree at close range.

The biggest advantage of sugar gum trees as street trees is naturally their filtering ability . Sugar gum trees have strong resistance to harmful gases such as sulfur dioxide and chlorine, and are excellent tree species for landscaping . They are suitable for decorating courtyards, streets, roadsides, waterfronts, lawns, parks, squares, campuses and other places. While they have ornamental value, they can also filter harmful gases. The "unpleasant" smell actually serves to repel mosquitoes and regulate interspecies ecological relationships.

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