Delonix regia is a species of flowering plant in the bean family Fabaceae, subfamily Caesalpinioideae native to Madagascar. It is noted for its fern-like leaves and flamboyant display of orange-red flowers over summer. In many tropical parts of the world it is grown as an ornamental tree and in English it is given the name royal poinciana, flamboyant, phoenix flower, flame of the forest, or flame tree
Classifications and Characteristics
Plant Division
Angiosperms (Flowering Seed Plants) (Dicotyledon)
Plant Growth Form
Tree (Medium (16m-30m))
Lifespan (in Singapore)
Perennial
Mode of Nutrition
Autotrophic
Plant Shape
Umbrella
Maximum Height
9 m to 20 m
Maximum Plant Spread / Crown Width
12 m to 18 m
Biogeography
Native Distribution
Madagascar
Native Habitat
Terrestrial (Monsoon Forest)
Preferred Climate Zone
Tropical, Sub-Tropical / Monsoonal
Local Conservation Status
Non-native (Horticultural / Cultivated Only)
Description and Ethnobotany
Growth Form
It is deciduous in climates with a dry season, shedding its leaves at the end of the wet season.
Crown
Small tree (9 – 15 m tall) with an umbrella-shaped crown.
Trunk
Bark grey and smooth. Short trunk having buttress roots. Branches weak and prone to breakage by wind.
Foliage
Bipinnately compound leaves have alternate leaf arrangement (20 - 60 cm long). Each leaf has 9 - 25 pairs of pinnae; each pinnae consists of 14 - 30 pairs of leaflets.
Flowers
Flowers bright red and orange (10 – 13 cm in diameter). Each flower has 5 similar-sized petals. One of these is a white or light pink standard petal that has red streaks. They have a subtle fragrance.
Fruit
Pods that are initially green and flexible become reddish brown or black, woody and gently curved (30 - 75 cm long, 5 – 8 cm wide) at maturity. Pods each contain 20 – 45 hard, oblong, somewhat flattened seeds (2 cm in length). They split open to release the seeds at maturity.
Habitat
Occurs at altitudes of 0 - 1,000 m and rainfall of 750 - 3,000 mm. It is often found in dry, tropical savannas
Landscaping Features
Landscaping
Often used in parks, gardens and roadsides due to its bright red flowers. Make an excellent shade or focal point tree. It is salt tolerant and may be planted near the coast, but not directly on an open beach. However, the plants sheds numerous twigs, leaves and large woody pods. Shed twigs, leaves and pods may have allelochemicals that inhibit the growth of neighboring plants.
Desirable Plant Features
Ornamental Flowers
Landscape Uses
Parks & Gardens, Focal Plant
Plant Care and Propagation
Light Preference
Full Sun, [Remarks] (Delonix regia is light sensitive and trees that grow beside street lamps remain evergreen and do not bloom, or may produce flowers on the side away from the light. )
The coconut palm is a long-lived plant; it has a single trunk, 20-30 meter tall, its bark is smooth and gray, marked by ringed scars left by fallen leaf bases. The tree can live as long as 100 years producing an annual yield of 50 to 100 coconuts. The tree can live as long as 100 years producing an annual yield of 50 to 100 coconuts.
A relatively fast-growing, solitary, slender, unarmed palm which characteristically front the coast in tropical regions and is the allusion of lush, tropical paradises with sandy beaches.
Trunk
Stem tall, slender, grey, prominently ringed with old leaf scars (when the leaf die off, it will fall off cleanly from the trunk, leaving a neat rectangular pattern of circular scars).
Foliage
Fronds pinnate, large, up to 5 m long, yellowish-green to dark green, ascending to spreading to drooping, bearing 80 to 100 pairs of leaflets that taper to a split tip, with prominently elevated midrib; leaflets simple, lanceolate, 1.5 to 5 cm wide, 50 to 150 cm long.
Flowers
Inflorescences spreading, 1.2 to 1.6 m long, cream to yellow, arising from within the lower fronds, consisting of 5 female flowers (with each set between 2 smaller male flowers), enclosed by two bracts (60 to 90 cm long) for protection purposes; inner bract is woody and pointed; male flowers will open about 10 to 20 days to encourage cross-pollination, before the female flowers open.
Fruit
Fruits ovoid, up to 30 cm long, ripening from light green or yellow to brown, consisting of a smooth outer skin (exocarp), a fibrous husk (mesocarp) and a hardy woody shell (endocarp); seed has a narrow, white layer of edible endosperm (flesh) and a large cavity filled with water.
LANDSCAPING FEATURES
Landscape Uses
Coastal, Roadside Tree / Palm, Beachfront / Shoreline
FAUNA, POLLINATION AND DISPERSAL
Fauna Pollination Dispersal Associated Fauna
Caterpillar Food Plant
PLANT CARE AND PROPAGATION
Light Preference
Full Sun
Water Preference
Moderate Water
FOLIAR
Mature Foliage Color(s)
Green
Leaf Area Index (LAI) for Green Plot Ratio
2.5 (Palm - Solitary)
NON - FOLIAR AND STORAGE
Trunk Type (Palm)
Solitary Habit, Aboveground
FLORAL (ANGIOSPERM)
Flower Color(s)
Cream / Off-White, Yellow / Golden
FRUIT, SEED AND SPORE
Mature Fruit Color(s)
Brown, Green, Yellow / Golden
PLANT INFO
PLANT NAME : Peltophorum Pterocarpum
PLANTED BY : Rohit
LOCATION : Chalivendram Boundary
DATE : 21-03-2024
TIME : 10:39 AM
PLANT LOCATION
PLANT DESCRIPTION
Plant Division
Angiosperms (Flowering Seed Plants) (Dicotyledon)
Plant Growth Form
Tree
Lifespan (in Singapore)
Perennial
Mode of Nutrition
Autotrophic
Plant Shape
Umbrella
Maximum Height
35 m
Maximum Plant Spread / Crown Width
9 m to 12 m
Tree or Palm – Trunk Diameter
1 m
BIOGEOGRAPHY
Native Distribution
From Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malesia to northern Australia.
A deciduous tree with a girth of up to 1 m and grows to 35 m tall.
Crown
The crown is umbrella-shaped with an open crown density.
Foliage
Leaves are bipinnate, 30-60cm long, with 16-20 pinnae. Each pinna has 20-40 oval leaflets, each 0.8-2.5cm long and 0.4-1.0cm long.
LANDSCAPING FEATURES
Landscaping
It suitable for planting along streets, in parks and gardens for its ornamental flowers, and umbrella shaped crown which provides excellent shade.
Desirable Plant Features
Ornamental Flowers
Landscape Uses
Roadside Tree / Palm, Coastal, Shade Providing Tree / Palm, General, Parks & Gardens, Beachfront / Shoreline
FAUNA, POLLINATION AND DISPERSAL
Pollination Method(s)
Biotic (Fauna)
Seed or Spore Dispersal
Abiotic (Water)
PLANT CARE AND PROPAGATION
Light Preference
Full Sun
Water Preference
Moderate Water
Plant Growth Rate
Moderate
Rootzone Tolerance
Moist Soils, Well-Drained Soils, Saline Soils / Salt Spray, Heavy Clay Soils, Alkaline high pH Soils
Maintenance Requirements
Moderate
Propagation Method
Seed, Grafting
FOLIAR
Foliage Retention
Deciduous
Mature Foliage Colour(s)
Green
Foliar Type
Compound (Bipinnate)
Foliar Arrangement Along Stem
Alternate
Foliar Attachment to Stem
Petiolate
Foliar Shape(s)
Non-Palm Foliage (Oval)
Foliar Venation
Pinnate / Net
Leaf Area Index (LAI) for Green Plot Ratio
3.0 (Tree - Intermediate Canopy)
FLORAL (ANGIOSPERM)
Flower & Plant Sexuality
Bisexual Flowers
Flower Colour(s)
Yellow / Golden
Flower Grouping
Cluster / Inflorescence
Flower Location
Terminal
FRUIT, SEED AND SPORE
Mature Fruit Colour(s)
Purple, Brown
Fruit Classification
Simple Fruit
Fruit Type
Dehiscent Dry Fruit, Legume / Pod
USES
Peltophorum pterocarpum is used for fodder. The bark can also be used as dyes as it contains tannins, giving a light yellow colour to leather. Tannin is also present in leaves and wood. In Java, the dye is used for batik work.
