Royal Poinciana
CALL US +1.772.337.1959
Location
Promenade & Walkways
Royal Poinciana
Delonix regia
- Common Name: Royal Poinciana (other common names: Flamboyant Tree, Flame of the Forest, Flame Tree, Peacock Flower, and Gulmohar).
- Scientific Name: Delonix regia
- Family Name: Fabaceae
- Origin: Native to Madagascar.
- Height: 35’– 40’
- Width: 40’ – 60’
- Growth: Fast
- Zone: 10B - 11
- Light Needs: Full sun.
- Salt Tolerance: Low
- Soil/PH/Texture: It is tolerant of a wide variety of soils and conditions, sand, loam, well-drained, slightly acidic to slightly alkaline (pH 6.1 – 7.8).
- Soil Moisture: It needs to be well-watered until it is established well and then only during droughts.
- Drought Tolerance: High drought and humidity tolerant.
- Pests/Diseases:
- Resistant to most pests and diseases. There is a root fungus which can kill a weakened tree and caterpillars like their leaves.
- Growing Conditions: Easy maintenance but may have leaf and seed litter. Train the tree so the major limbs are located 8 to 12 feet from the ground to allow for adequate clearance beneath the tree. To develop a strong, durable tree, prune major limbs to prevent them from growing to more than half the diameter of the trunk.
- Characteristics: This semi-evergreen is deciduous and has leaves that are 8 – 20” in length, bipinnately compound, made up of 10 to 20 pairs of primary leaflets and each are made up of 25 to 35 pairs of secondary leaflets that are alternately arranged. The flowers are very showy, emerge in bright red, orange and yellow clusters at the tips of the branches, and bloom spring to early fall. They have pod-like seeds in the summer that are elongated and flat, dark brown and can get up to 1’ – 2’ in length.
- Propagation: By seed or cuttings. Seeds have to scarified.
- Wildlife: Attractive to butterflies, bees and birds.
- Facts: In the wild (Madagascar) it is endangered but has naturalized to many tropical locations and is cultivated in many places. Its blossom is the national flower for both Nevis and St.Kitts and Key West adopted it as their official tree in 2018.
- Designer Considerations: Looks good on a street without sidewalk (it has very large surface roots), and as a specimen in a residential yard. It is used for a shade, xeriscaping, reclamation, and is urban tolerant.