Bottle brush plant

While walking through a city park, back in a corner I spotted this strange looking tree with even stranger flowers. The flowers actually looked like red bottle brushes covering the tree. Amazing! The strange-sounding name of the bottle brush plant apparently is derived from the appearance of the plant's blooms. They really look much like the brushes that are used to clean out bottles. Its scientific name is Callistemon. The bottle brush plant is a native of subtropical Australia. The plant's ability to survive and thrive in hot environments has led to its increasing popularity in Florida and Southern California landscaping.