Consistently voted among the top 5 most beautiful flowering trees in the world, the Royal Poinciana deserves its support. It may be the most colorful flowering tree as well.
Related to the Tamarind and mimosa tree, this native of Madagascar is a tropical legume with many attributes
Royal Poinciana is deciduous in winter allowing sun to penetrate. In early summer, the voluminous red blooms appear and will hold for 4-8 weeks
After that, the Delonix re-foliates its wide spreading branches with delicate medium green compound leaves
As with other flowering trees such as the Yellow Tabebuia, cutting off sprinkler water in the winter months prior to blooming promotes a far better flowering display. The older the tree, the more intensely it will bloom
The Poinciana rows in a spreading habit to 10m. In hot months its fine loose leaves provide a wonderful "broken" shade beneath, well suited for any plantings that enjoy shifting light and protection from the hot summer sun
Even lawn grasses grow well underneath but growing grass too near the trunk is a big waste of an excellent environment. Much better to have a large bed of fancy tropicals under your Royal
Young, it tends to grow as wide as tall causing an appearance that it will invade the air space of driveways, roofs and garages. However, as it matures, it picks up its drooping branches to create a high umbrella
Some careful light pruning during maturation can help make a better formed tree. Take most of the branches that grow beneath the main crown. These lower branches will just add more shade and are not needed. If your tree is a little thin for branches, skip this pruning
Royal Poinciana is tolerant of some salt drift, not too fussy as to soil and has no pests. Light fertilization is recommended.
Plant as a foundation tree or, if you have the land, use three about 20 feet apart in a triangle. The effect will be a huge protected shaded area suitable for almost all plants and people.
Growing from seed is relatively easy but keep the soil from drying out by placing seed pots in light shade.
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