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18 April 2011
The Royal Poinciana tree is a true stunner, covered in a carpet of amazing bright red flowers from December to February. The seed pods which follow the flowers are huge, around 1/2m long. They are long and skinny pods, but the seeds themselves are quite small. The Poinciana has fern-like leaves, similar to the Jacaranda Tree.
About the Royal Poinciana Tree
The Poinciana is also known as ‘Flamoyant Tree’ and ‘Flame Tree’. It’s easy to imagine why it would be referred to as ‘Flamboyant’! I couldn’t image a flowering tree which matches the amazing display of the Poinciana. The flower display is simply stunning, like the whole canopy is on fire. Which is where the name ‘Flame Tree’ comes from, no doubt! The name Poinciana comes from its former genus ‘Poinciana’, but it has now been included in the ‘Delonix’ genus.
The Royal Poinciana is the perfect shade tree, growing tall enough to be out of the way, and spreading wide enough to provide excellent shade. It has the classic ‘mushroom’ or ‘umbrella’ shape, with a solid trunk and wide spreading canopy. The Poinciana is also a legume, meaning it actually puts nitrogen back into your soil. This makes it perfect as a shade tree in the middle of your lawn, there won’t be any dead patches of grass like with a lot of other trees (gums etc.), but more so grass that’s even greener than the rest of the lawn!
How to grow the Royal Poinciana Tree
The Royal Poinciana tree comes from Madagascar and is very hardy and low-maintenance once established. The Poinciana can be evergreen in areas without a dry season, but will be mostly deciduous in areas with a pronounced dry season. When the weather is dry, the Poinciana will drop its leaves.
The Royal Poinciana tree has a big root system so make sure you give it plenty of room. Plant it away from paths, swimming pools, building etc. This tree is excellent in particular as a stunning shade providing tree, and is also used a lot for street plantings. It is a fast growing tree, capable of growing 1.5m per year in the right conditions. It can be pruned to shape.
Delonix regia should be grown in full sun and is adaptable to various types of soil. Protection from strong winds is preferred, especially when young. The Poinciana tree is very drought tolerant, but it looks best, and grows best, with regular watering. This tree needs to be grown in a frost-free position, preferably above 8 degrees celcius.
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