Residents and visitors of Rio have until the next few days to witness a phenomenon that, for many, only happens once: the flowering of taliput palms, a species that blooms only once before dying. Since the beginning of spring, the specimens at the Aterro do Flamingo and Botanical Garden, originally planted by landscape gardener Roberto Burle Marx in the 1960s, have displayed canopies laden with millions of yellow flowers.
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Corypha umbraculifera, native to southern India and Sri Lanka, impresses with its unique biology. According to researchers from the Botanical Garden, it can take between 40 and 70 years for the tree to start flowering, which it does when it reaches 30 meters in height. Then the slow death process begins. “The plant produces more than 5 million flowers,” researcher Marcus Andrews explained to G1. “When the fruits ripen and fall, they begin to die.”
Farewell show
Despite the inevitable outcome, experts stress that Tallibot’s ending is full of visual verve. “Death becomes a beautiful thing,” Nadroz said, “because the plant looks so beautiful before it leaves.” In Atero do Flamengo, umbrellas attract the attention of passers-by: the inflorescences create the effect of a huge golden crown above the palm trees – a sight that most people will not see twice in their lives.
There is no shortage of surprised reactions among visitors. “Sometimes, in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we don’t notice the details. But it’s really different,” businesswoman Flavia Paradella told G1. Office assistant Matthews Silva defined this phenomenon in one word: “Different!” Retiree María Beatriz de Albuquerque ran to see it up close. “It’s a unique opportunity. I came just for that, and it was worth it,” he said.
Magic also moves those who have worked with these species for decades. “I pass here almost every day, but this is the first time I’ve seen the blooms in person,” says Nadroz. For some visitors, this phenomenon is more than just a photographic record. It is an invitation to contemplate. “Maybe we should rethink what we do with the planet. Let’s preserve it so that my grandchildren can see it too,” Maria Beatriz said in an interview with G1.
In the Botanical Garden, where two specimens were planted before those at the dump and are also thriving this season, the number of visitors has increased. Between shouts of amazement and mobile phones in the air, the phrase is repeated: “Guys, what a privilege!”, summed up public servant Natalia Lourenço to G1.