Caesalpinia pulcherrima

Caesalpinia pulcherrima
File:Caesalpinia pulcherrima.jpg
Caesalpinia pulcherrima at the Desert Demonstration Garden in Las Vegas
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Genus:	Caesalpinia
Species:	C.
Binomial name
Caesalpinia pulcherrima (L.) Sw.
Synonyms
Poinciana pulcherrima L.

Caesalpinia pulcherrima is a species of flowering plant in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is native to the tropics and subtropics of the Americas. It could be native to the West Indies, but its exact origin is unknown due to widespread cultivation. Common names for this species include Poinciana, Peacock Flower, Red Bird of Paradise, Mexican Bird of Paradise, Dwarf Poinciana, Pride of Barbados, and flamboyant-de-jardin. The Hawaiian name for this plant is ʻOhai Aliʻi.

Description

File:Caesalpinia pulcherrima at Kadavoor.jpg

Buds of Peacock Flower at Kerala

It is not ashrub growing to 3 m tall. In climates with little to no frosts, this plant will grow larger and is semi-evergreen. Grown in climates with light to moderate freezing, plant will die back to the ground depending on cold, but will re-bound in mid to late spring. This species is more sensitive to cold than others. The leaves are bipinnate, 20–40 cm long, bearing 3-10 pairs of pinnae, each with 6-10 pairs of leaflets 15–25 mm long and 10–15 mm broad. The flowers are borne in racemes up to 20 cm long, each flower with five yellow, orange or red petals. The fruit is a pod 6–12 cm long.

File:Caesalpinia pulcherrima yellow variety in Mihintale, Sri Lanka.jpg

Yellow flower variety

Symbolism

Red Bird of Paradise is the national flower of the Caribbean island of Barbados, and is depicted on the Queen's personal Barbadian flag.

Uses

Food

All seeds of Caesalpinia are poisonous. However the seeds of some species are edible before they reach maturity (e.g. immature seeds of C. pulcherrima) or after treatment (e.g. C. bonduc after roasting).

Medicinal

Maroon medicine men in Suriname have long known some of the medicinal uses for Caesalpinia pulcherrima, which is known as ayoowiri. Four grams from the root is also said to induce abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy.

Ornamental

C. pulcherrima is the most widely cultivated species in the genus Caesalpinia. It is a striking ornamental plant, widely grown in domestic and public gardens in warm climates with mild winters, and has a beautiful inflorescence in yellow, red and orange. Its small size and the fact that it tolerates pruning well allows it to be planted in groups to form a hedgerow; it can be also used to attract hummingbirds.

Names

Common names for this species in other languages include

Bengali: Radhachura and maybe also Krishnachura (though this usually refers to Delonix regia) Hindi: Guletura Filipino: Caballer: Spanish: Flamboyan

Japanese: オオゴチョウ（大胡蝶）(Oogochou/Ogocho/Ogochou) Kannada: Kenjige Konkani: Ratnagandhi Phoolor "meshae phool" Malayalam: Settimandaram or Rajamalli Manipuri: Krishnachura

Marathi: Sankasur Odia: Krushnachuda (କୃଷ୍ନଚୁଡା)/ Godibaana (ଗୋଡିବାଣ) Sanskrit: Sidhakya

Tamil: Mayirkonrai; Nazhal Telugu: Ratnagandhi Thai: หางนกยูงไทย

• Sranantongo: Krere-krere
• Vietnamese: Kim phượng
• Sinhalese: Monara pila (මොණර පිල) or Monara mal (මොණර මල්)

External links

• Caesalpinia pulcherrima in West African plants – A Photo Guide.