Calliandra pittieri

Native from eastern Panama to Venezuela and Ecuador, this perennial shrub or tree can reach about 49 feet tall. Its finely divided leaves have several pairs of branches bearing many small, narrow leaflets. Rounded flower heads contain long stamens that are white near the base and pink or red toward the tips. The fruits are flattened seed pods. It grows in tropical forests, streamside vegetation, roadside scrub, and coffee plantations. In Colombia, it occurs between about 330 and 8,500 feet. Photographed in Colombia.