Leopard trees blooming in profusion embellish the Gia Lai landscape with a particular yellow brilliance, shedding leaves that fertilize the province’s tea gardens. 

As October ends, the leopard trees get into their act along the Tay Ho (West Lake) and the vast Bau Can tea estate in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai. The tree, said to be native to Brazilian rainforests, is scientifically known as Libidibia ferrea or Caesalpinia ferrea.

The freshwater lake and the tea plantation are about 25 km south of the center of Pleiku Town, capital of Gia Lai. The lake covers an area of nearly 100 hectares in Tay Ho Village, Bau Can Commune, Chu Prong District. It irrigates the tea plantation.

The Bau Can tea plantation dotted with the leopard trees in bloom.

Grown on an area of more than 400 hectares, the plantation has an annual output of 2,000 tons of tea buds each year.

Plantation workers pluck tea leaves early in the morning, in the shade of leopard trees in bloom.

A path runs through the tea plantation.

A worker said the leopard trees were planted to act as a windshield for the tea plants. When the tree sheds its leaves, they become a natural fertilizer too. 

"Around 6 to 7 am is the time that the trees are at their most photogenic in Bau Can. This place has a peaceful, fresh atmosphere with birds chirping merrily. I feel refreshed here," said photographer Hoang Quoc Vinh, a Gia Lai native.

The flowering tree is planted all over the country, including tourist hotspots like Nha Trang, Da Lat, Da Nang and Saigon, but they are said to be at their best shape and form in Gia Lai.

The Bau Can tea plantation’s popularity has grown in recent years, thanks in no small part to the leopard blooms. Early last month, the locality organized the "Leopard Flower Festival" for the first time to promote its landscape, culture and cuisine.

 Photos by Hoang Quoc Vinh