From a distance, it looks like a mature fruit; this is the male flower of the ironwood tree. Photo by Huang Likuo from Information Times. The flowering of the ironwood tree is a rare occurrence, akin to "a mute speaking." As reported by the Information Times (reporter Jiang Jun, correspondents Jiang Houquan, Liu Yinzhi, and Li Biqiu), people often say, "When the ironwood tree flowers and the mute speaks," highlighting just how rare it is for an ironwood tree to bloom. Recently, in the South China Botanical Garden, a 30-year-old ironwood tree...