Plant Name
Scientific Name: Delonix regia
Synonym: Poinciana regia
Common Names: Royal Poinciana, Flamboyant, Flame Tree
Plant Characteristics
Duration: Perennial, Deciduous to semi-evergreen
Growth Habit: Tree
Hawaii Native Status: Introduced. This naturalized ornamental flowering tree is native to Madagascar.
Flower Color: Red (most common), Orange, Yellow
Flowering Season: Summer
Height: Up to 50 feet (15 m) tall, but usually less
Description: The flowers are clustered above the leaves and are so numerous that they almost cover the tree and create a spectacular floral display. The individual flowers have 5 crinkled, spoon-shaped petals, 5 small, colorful sepals that are yellow outside and red inside, and 10 stamens. Although it is usually curled up and appears red, the top banner petal is yellow and white above. The flowers are followed by flat, up to 28 inch (70 cm) long, hard, woody, brown to blackish bean pods with large seeds. The leaves are green, feathery, alternate, and bipinnate with paired leaflets. The bark is smooth and grayish brown. The trees have a very broad crown and grow to be much wider than they are tall.
Here in Hawaii, the beautiful Royal Poinciana is a common landscaping tree, and it has also become naturalized in a few dry to mesic (moderately wet) disturbed areas at lower elevations.
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Rosidae
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae – Pea family
Genus: Delonix Raf. – delonix
Species: Delonix regia (Bojer ex Hook.) Raf. – royal poinciana
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