Delonix regia

Delonix regia is the dream tree of the tropics, often considered the most beautiful of all flowering trees.  The common names are Flamboyant or Royal Poinciana. Delonix regia is a deciduous, small tree, 6-15 m (20-50ft) tall, native to semi-dry rocky areas of Tropical Madagascar. The crown is neatly dome shaped, leaves are large and bipinnate, fern-like, 20-80 cm (8-32") long. Flowers are bright red with splashes of white and yellow. Inflorescences open in hot summer weather, in June-August. Each individual flower is a beauty, somehow reminiscent of an orchid. The whole tree is a bright sight and can be enjoyed from a distance. Fruits are "giant beans", 30-50 cm long : flat, smooth woody seedpods, often used as "maracas", because of their rattling seeds.

Its showy red flowers are the essence of the tropics. It is also the most common tree in the public plantings of our city, Santa Cruz de Tenerife. So many streets here turn RED when summer comes in.

Cultivation of Delonix regia

This tree is critically endangered in the wild, but it is very popular in cultivation througout the world tropics. Delonix regia is the leading street tree in many coastal locations of the Canary Islands, and it is especially abundant in the city of Santa Cruz, in Tenerife. Delonix is very easy and to grow, but it is very sensitive to frost and cold weather. It grows fast in full sun and hot summer weather.  Seedlings will take just 3-5 years to bloom.

How to grow Delonix regia in a pot

Royal Poinciana or Flamboyant can also be grown in large pots. Increase pot size gradually until you can place it in a pot of 40-50 cm. In this case it will take a few more years to bloom, 4-7 years possibly. For potted specimens we suggest to allow it to grow as a branched shrub, do not prune it as a one-stemmed tree. In order to promote a better blooming place the pot on a hot, sunny pavement during the growin months.
In winter it should be kept rather dry and always above 8 C.

What do we ship?

We ship a 1-2 year old seedling, 60-90 cm tall. This plant is deciduous and will be shipped without leaves in the colder months. If it grows taller than the box size of 1 m we will prune it to a reasonable height. Don't worry, this species does very well after pruning.