Delonix regia ( Royal Poinciana ) is an evergreen flowering tree that is native to Madagascar. Royal Poinciana trees are grown around the world for their clusters of beautiful red flowers. They are fast growing in warmer climates and have become popular as bonsai specimens. The Royal Poinciana requires ample space as they can grow canopies that can stretch to 20 metres (65 feet).
Suitable for Sub tropical and Tropical climates as far south as Sydney. Can also be grown easily in containers in cooler climates but require protection during the winter.
Also commonly known as Fire Tree, Flamboyant Poinciana, Flame Tree, Gold Mohar and Red Poinciana. It has also been referred to as the Flame of the Forest and the Peacock Flower. Furthermore, there was a suggestion that Cold Chisel was inspired by Delonix regia for their famous song Flame Trees but they were actually referring to the Illawarra Flame Tree native to Australia.
Growth
Delonix regia is a fast growing tree that can reach heights of up to 12 metres (39 feet). Royal Poinciana trees thrive in warm, humid conditions and are drought tolerant. In Australia, the furthest south that have reached maturity is Sydney and some inland towns of New South Wales. They cannot tolerate temperatures below 7°C / 45°F and so in Melbourne for example they often kept indoors or in greenhouses.
Leaves of the Royal Poinciana are bipinnate and each leaf consists of around 25 pairs of leaflets, each with their own set of 25 pairs of leaflets. Foliage appears similar to other tropical trees such as the Jacaranda. Flowers consist of five reddish petals with one noticeably larger and has white and yellow markings.
When growing from seed, Royal Poinciana trees can take between 5-10 years to produce flowers, depending on conditions. Flowering can be induced earlier by adding some dolomite during autumn and then phosphorous during the winter. In ideal climates, this method has seen some trees flower during their third or fourth growing season.
FAMILY:
Fabaceae
CLIMATE:
Temperate, Sub Tropical & Tropical
TEMPERATURE RANGE:
10°C to 40°C / 50 to 104°F
SOIL TYPE:
Well draining.
LOCATION:
Full Sun
HEIGHT:
Up to 12 metres (39 feet)
WIDTH:
Up to 20 metres (65 feet)
pH:
5.5-7.5
GROWTH TYPE:
Evergreen in the tropics, deciduous in temperate climates.
WATER REQUIREMENTS:
Low
POLLINATION:
Pollinated by Birds and insects.
MATURITY:
5-10 years
GERMINATION RATES:
75-90%
GERMINATION TIME:
3-4 weeks at 20°C / 70°F.
SEEDS PER GRAM:
Approximately 2 or 3
MEDICINAL QUALITIES:
Not recommended.
WEED POTENTIAL:
Yes
FACTS ABOUT DELONIX REGIA (Royal Poinciana)
The name of the Genus comes from the Greek word ‘delos’ meaning appearance and ‘onux’ meaning claw. This refers to the long-clawed petals of the flowers.
Royal Poinciana Trees are the native flower of the Caribbean nation of St Kitts & Nevis.
