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Royal Poinciana
Flamboyant Tree
Delonix regia
click pic to enlarge
Zone 10 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 months South Florida wants full sun exposure. In early summer, the voluminous red blooms appear and will hold for 4-8 weeks
Here are some blooms opening, others already red. 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 is rated to a tall 40 feet. In hot months the 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. Look at the top photo again and notice the "broken" sun showing in. This type of tropical shade allows almost any plant to be happy. For this reason, growing grass to 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 There is also a yellow Poinciana that blooms in spring as well as a very colorful shrub to 10 feet called Paradise Poinciana |
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