LEGUME FAMILY (LEGUMINOSAE) 



CASSIA SUBFAMILY (CAESALPINIOIDEAE; CAESALPINIACEAE) 



75. Flamboyan, flamboyant-tree 



Flamboyan, the widely spreading tree which 

 forms arches of shade along Puerto Rico's high- 

 ways and which is covered with brilliant masses of 

 large orange-red flowers mostly from May to July 

 or August, is known to all, visitors and residents 

 alike. Even when the flame-colored blossoms are 

 absent, the feathery foliage and the giant, flat, 

 blackish or dark brown pods resembling machetes 

 make identification easy. 



This small to medium-sized deciduous tree be- 

 comes SO-SO feet high and '2 feet in trunk diam- 

 eter, large trunks buttressed and angled toward 

 base. The gray-brown bark is smoothish, some- 

 times slightly cracked, and with many dots (lenti- 

 cels). Inner bark is light brown and tasteless. 

 Long, nearly horizontal branches form a broad 

 flat-topped crown of thin foliage wider than the 

 ti-ee"s height. The stout twigs are greenish and 

 finely hairy when young, becoming brown. 



The alternate leaves are 8-20 inches long and 

 twice pinnate (bipinnate) . Along the light green, 

 slightly hairy a.xis are 10-25 pairs of slender 

 featliery branches (pinnae) 2-5 inches long, each 

 bearing' 12—10 pairs of very small oblong leaflets 

 3/jg-% inch long and % inch wide. The numerous 

 leaflets are stalkless, rounded at base and apex, 

 not toothed, thin, very minutely hairy on both 

 sides, green on upper surface and paler beneath. 



Several flower clusters (racemes) 6-10 inches 

 long are borne laterally near the end of a twig, 

 each with loosely arranged, slightly fragrant 

 flowers. The flo^^ei-s are 4-5 inches across, on 

 slender stalks 2-3 inches long. Calyx consists of 

 5 pointed, finely hairy sepals about 1 inch long, 

 green outside and reddish with yellow border with- 

 in; 5 unequal petals 2-21/2 inches long and ^-l^/i 

 inches wide, with a very long, slender, haiiy stalk, 

 broadly spoon-shaped, rounded but broader than 

 long, slightly wavy-margined or crisp, widely ex- 

 tended and bending backwards liefore falling; 4 

 petals are orange red or almost scarlet, while 1 

 which is longer and narrower than the othei-s is 

 whitish inside with red spots and streaks; the 10 

 stamens about 1% inches long are slender and red, 

 hairy toward base; and the pistil has a haii-y 1- 

 celled ovary about Vo inch long and slender style 

 about 1V4 inclies long. 



The pods are hard, 14-20 inches long, 2-214 

 inches wide, and 14 inch thick, finally splitting into 

 2 parts. There are many oblong mottled brown 

 seeds about % inch long and i/4 hich broad, 

 about 900 to tlie pound. The conspicuous pods 



Delonix regia (Bojer) Raf.* 



liang down and remain attached most of the year, 

 even when the trees are leafless. 



The sapwood is light yellow, and the heartwood 

 is yellowish brown to light brown. The wood is 

 soft, heavy (specific gravity 0.8), coarse-grained, 

 weak and brittle, and very susceptible to attack by 

 dry-wood termites. The large pods as well as the 

 wood are used for fuel. 



Widely planted along highways and streets and 

 in parks and gardens of both moist and dry areas 

 almost throughout Puerto Eico for the spectacular 

 flowers and for the shade of the broad branches. 

 Along highways the trees often are heavily pruned 

 except for the leaning side forming the arch. Also 

 a live fencepost. Sometimes escaping from culti- 

 vation and becoming naturalized. Also in Mona, 

 St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. John, and Tortola. 



Propagated easily from seed and of rapid 

 growth. Since the wood is weak, trees are often 

 broken by strong winds. x\fter the leaves are shed, 

 the trees are less attractive \^ith their conspicuous 

 pods remaining on the bare bi-anches and with the 

 prominent timnels and nests of the termites which 

 commonly attack this species. A caterpillar, or de- 

 foliating insect, occasionally attacks the trees and 

 elinunates the leaves completely. Another objec- 

 tionable feature is the surface root system which 

 sometimes breaks sidewalks and walls. Because 

 of these undesirable characteristics some authori- 

 ties classify flamboyan among the trees which 

 should not be planted. 



Range. — Native of Madagascar. One of the 

 most extensively planted ornamental trees in tropi- 

 cal and subtropical regions throughout the world 

 and locally escaping or naturalized. Southern 

 Florida including Florida Keys, southern Cali- 

 fornia (planted), Bermuda, and throughout "West 

 Indies. Also from Mexico to Brazil. 



Other common names. — flamlx)yan rojo, flam- 

 boyan Colorado (Puerto Rico) ; flamboyant, giant, 

 giant-tree (Virgin Islands) ; flamboyan (Domini- 

 can Republic, Colombia, Venezuela) ; framboyan, 

 flamboyant (Cuba) ; arbol de fuego, tabuchin 

 (Mexico) ; arbol del fuego, flor de fuego (Central 

 America) ; acacia, framboyan, guacamayo (Guate- 

 mala) ; guacamaya, poinciana (Honduras) ; gua- 

 camaya (El Salvador) ; clavellino, flor de pavo 

 (Colombia) ; flamboyant, josefina (Venezuela) ; 

 flamboyant-tree (British Guiana) ; flamboyant, 

 royal poinciana, flame-tree (United States, Eng- 

 lish) ; flamboyant (French) ; flamboyant, July- 

 tree (Dutch West Indies) ; flamboyant (Brazil). 



Botanical synonym. — Poinciana regia Bojer. 



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