Alor Setar locals taken by Tecoma blooms

Fantastic flora: Tecoma trees lining the road nearby the Al-Bukhary Mosque at Jalan Langgar, Alor Setar.

ALOR SETAR: The colourful Tecoma flowers may not attract as many admirers as before because of the ban on interstate and inter-district travel under the movement control order, but it’s still a sight to behold for the residents here.

With thousands of the white, pink, dark pink and yellow flowers in full bloom, many people here have made pitstops to appreciate their beauty and capture the image in photographs.

Known also as Tabebuia, originally from the Caribbean and South America, Tecoma trees blossom during the dry season in the northern part of the peninsula.

Many of these trees with their beautiful blooms line the roads of Jalan Langgar, Jalan Stadium, Jalan Putera, and Lebuhraya Darul Aman up to Titi Gajah.

Businesswoman Nurul Ismail Wani, 34, was seen admiring the flowers around the Al-Bukhary Mosque in Jalan Langgar.

“I will return to the same location to take some pictures later and post them on Facebook, ” she said.

Another fan, Rahimah Hassan, 50, from Kuala Kedah, was spotted taking a selfie in front of a Tecoma tree in Jalan Stadium.

“I feel as though I am in Japan, ” she quipped.

Meanwhile, Alor Setar City Council mayor Datuk Zaid Ahmad said there were about 1,000 Tecoma trees in the Kota Setar district on record.

“The trees are planted along the main arteries under the council’s jurisdiction, ” he said.

“All these trees are now between 20 and 25 years old.

“Some of them were felled as they had posed a risk to public safety, ” he added.

Zaid added that the Tecoma trees could be planted almost anywhere in the country but they only bloom in the northern states under hot and dry weather.

“Each February marks the beginning of flowering season and it reaches its peak in March or early April.”