Cherish having ornamental plants in your garden

Dec 04, 2009

THE flamboyant delonix regia and the dwarf poinciana caesalpinia pulcherrima are two related plants that you should not miss having in your garden.

THE flamboyant delonix regia and the dwarf poinciana caesalpinia pulcherrima are two related plants that you should not miss having in your garden.

The flamboyant grows to become a big tree while the dwarf poinciana like its name, remains a medium-sized shrub. Both are highly decorative ornamental plants and are used widely as specimen plants in the gardens.

A specimen plant is a plant that may be grown by itself in a garden for ornamental effect. It is often used as a focal point too.

The plants are noted for the fern like leaves and exquisitely flamboyant flowers.

The flowers come out in clusters above the leaves and may be in red and orange colours.

The name poinciana is after Phillippe de Longvilliers de Poincy, who is credited for introducing the plant to America.
It is endemic to Madagascar’s dry deciduous forests.

It is the city tree of Taiwan and Xiamen, Fujian province of the People’s Republic of China.

When Kampala still had city planners worth their name, the tree was planted on both sides of the road next to the Kampala Main Post Office.

Today, the poinciana still exist though neglected. The National Cheng Kung University, located in Tainan put the Royal Poinciana on its emblem.

The tree has a very strong root system and shade that prohibits other plants from growing beneath it.

The poinciana has the following characteristics:

Growth: Fast.
Flower: Red or yellow.
Scent: None.
Light: Full sunshine.
Water: Regularly.
Pruning: None.
Propagation: Seed and stem cuttings.

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