Delonix regia (Bojer ex Hook.) Raf.

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation

Vulnerable

Ecology

Africa: Cultivated; Indian Ocean: West Malagasy forest.

Morphology General Habit

Perennial, Not climbing, Tree

Vernacular

Alamboronala, Fannou, Flamboyan, Flamboyant, Flamboyant Tree, Flamboyante, Flame Of The Forest, Flame Tree, Flanbwayan, Framboyan, Gulmohar, Hintsakinsa, Hitsakitsana, Kitsakitsabe, Mal-mara, Mayaram, Mille Fleurs, Ohai, Pine, Poinciana, Poo-vahai, Royal

Distribution

Biogeografic region: Amazonia, Andean, Caribbean, Orinoquia, Pacific. Elevation range: 0–1540 m a.s.l. Cultivated in Colombia. Naturalised in Colombia. Colombian departments: Amazonas, Antioquia, Atlántico, Bolívar, Casanare, Córdoba, Cundinamarca, Meta, San Andrés y Providencia, Tolima, Valle del Cauca.

Habit

Tree.

Conservation

IUCN Red List Assessment (2021): LC.

Ecology

Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, savanna, shrubland, native grassland, wetlands (inland), artificial - terrestrial.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds Protein Content

16.90% Entire seed/nut. Moisture content not stated (Earle & Jones, 1962)

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit

A spreading tree with numerous small leaflets and racemes of showy scarlet or rarely orange-red flowers and large pods.

Distribution

Cultivated in N3, S1, S2 and no doubt elsewhere; native of Madagascar

Vernacular

Flamboyant, flame tree (English)

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/32947/2828337

Conservation

LC - least concern

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular

abeto, acacia, acacia de Girardot, acacia roja, acacio, acacio extranjero, acacio ordinario, acacio rojo, árbol de fuego, calamayó, calambayó, clavelino, clavellino, flamboyán, flor de ángel, flor de fuego, flor de pavo, florito, gallino, jalamayó, josefino, matarratón

Kew Species Profiles

General Description

Although widely cultivated in the tropics since the 19th century, the native habitat of flamboyant was unknown to science until the 1930s, when it was rediscovered growing in the wild in Madagascar.

Delonix regia is a distinctive tree with large, bright red flowers. The genus name is derived from the Greek words delos (meaning conspicuous), and onyx, meaning claw, referring to the appearance of the spectacular flowers. The tree is commonly cultivated in the tropics and subtropics, including Madagascar, for its ornamental value, but is under increasing threat in its natural habitat due to habitat destruction.

Species Profile

Geography and distribution

Restricted to the western dry forests of Madagascar, where it grows in the north and west of the Bemaraha massif, as well as in the dry forest around Antsiranana as far south as Daraina, and possibly also on Nosy Be. Delonix regia is however, also commonly cultivated throughout Madagascar and in many other tropical countries. It has become naturalised in some places, such as parts of southern Florida in the United States, and is invasive in parts of Australia, where it competes with native vegetation.

Description

Overview: A tree growing up to 30 m tall. Its trunk is tall and unbranched, sometimes with narrow, spreading buttresses extending from near the base. The bark is pale grey.

Leaves: The leaves are large with 10-25 pairs of pinnae, each with 30-60 opposite leaflets.

Flowers: The large, bright red flowers are about 10 cm in diameter, the upper petal with a large white to creamy-yellow blotch, flecked with red. The stamens (male parts) are dark red and the style (female part) is yellow.

Fruits: The pods are very long (40-70 cm), strap-shaped and flattened, containing up to 50 seeds each.

Little is known of the breeding system of Delonix regia . However, some self-incompatibility has been recorded. The species is thought to be pollinated by sunbirds.

A specimen cultivated in Martinique, with golden-yellow, unspotted flowers, was described by Henri Stehlé (1909-1983) as Delonix regia var. flavida . This variant is unknown in the wild and should be recognised only as a cultivar - D. regia 'Flavida'.

Threats and conservation

Although flamboyant is reasonably widespread in Madagascar, the habitat in which it grows is severely fragmented and seriously threatened by slash-and-burn agriculture, charcoal production, grazing by domestic cattle and goats, and uncontrolled bush fires.

Kew's Millennium Seed Bank Partnership has collected seeds of Delonix regia and is storing them ex situ in the Kew seed bank in the UK, as well as in Madagascar.

Uses

Delonix regia is widely planted in the tropics and subtropics as an ornamental tree in streets and parks. It is fast-growing and develops an umbrella-shaped crown, making it a valuable shade tree. The wood is of little value, although it is durable and resistant to water, and has been used for making fence posts.

The seeds of D. regia are sometimes used as beads, and there has been some research on the use of the gum obtained from the dried seeds as a binder in the manufacture of tablets, such as paracetamol.

Delonix regia is often depicted on postage stamps of countries around the world which have tropical or subtropical climates, from the small island of Anguilla (one of the British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean) to one of the largest countries, China.

Millennium Seed Bank: Seed storage

Kew's Millennium Seed Bank Partnership aims to save plant life world wide, focusing on plants under threat and those of most use in the future. Seeds are dried, packaged and stored at a sub-zero temperature in our seed bank vault.

Search Kew's Seed Information Database for information on Delonix regia seeds

Cultivation

Delonix regia requires well-drained soils in full sun, and is well-suited to maritime conditions in the tropics and subtropics. However, its roots are wide-spreading and can damage paving, land drains, and the foundations of nearby buildings. The tree has brittle branches which are shed readily. Underplanting with other species is difficult because of the spreading root system. Care needs to be taken in choosing the right site for planting, well away from hard landscape features so as to avoid damage.

Delonix regia is suitable for glasshouse or conservatory cultivation in temperate regions. It has been grown at Kew in the past, and was planted in free-draining compost and kept in a warm zone with a minimum temperature of 13°C and bright light. It requires plenty of water when in full growth, but watering should be reduced in the winter.

This species at Kew

Dried and spirit-preserved specimens of Delonix regia are held in Kew's Herbarium, where they are available to researchers by appointment. The details of some of these specimens can be seen online in Kew's Herbarium Catalogue.

A bracelet, which includes seeds of Delonix regia is held in Kew's Economic Botany Collection.

Distribution

Madagascar

Ecology

Malagasy dry forest.

Conservation

Least Concern (LC) according to IUCN Red List criteria.

Hazards

Roots can damage nearby building foundations, paving and drains; the branches of the tree are brittle and can fall without warning.

Leguminosae, R.K. Brummitt, A.C. Chikuni, J.M. Lock and R.M. Polhill. Flora Zambesiaca 3:2. 2007

Morphology General Habit

Tree 3–15(18) m high.

Morphology Stem

Young stems subglabrous to thinly spreading-pubescent.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves: petiole and rachis together (11)14–35 cm long; pinnae 9–18(23) pairs; pinna rachis (4)6–12(15) cm long; leaflets 10–32 pairs per pinna, 4–11(17) × 2–4(5) mm, oblong, obtuse to rounded at the apex, asymmetrical at the base, finely appressed-pubescent on both surfaces or rarely subglabrous; stipules pinnately compound, the rachis up to 1.4 cm long, with 2–6 pairs of pinnae, each oblong or oblanceolate up to 9 × 3 mm.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Racemes with the axis up to 12 cm excluding the peduncle, subglabrous to sparsely pubescent, each with (3)6–14 flowers; bracts up to 9 × 5 mm, ovate or elliptic, acute at the apex, usually falling shortly before anthesis; pedicels 3.5–9(10.5) cm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Hypanthium

Hypanthium 2–8 mm long, the narrow basal part gradually expanded above into a shallowly concave disc but the upper part not campanulate, the whole glabrous or sparsely pubescent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Sepals 1.8–3 cm long, lanceolate to oblong, glabrous to very sparsely pubescent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Petals (3.5)4.2–6.5(7.4) cm long, the lower 4 subequal but the upper one slightly longer than the others with the claw broader and less clearly defined, all scarlet red or sometimes (especially the upper one and the claws of the others) orange or ± yellow, the distal margins undulate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamen filaments (2.4)3.5–4.5(5) cm long, shorter than the petals.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary ± sessile, appressed-pubescent with longish but usually sparse hairs.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Pods (20)30–70 × 3.6–5.8 cm, strongly woody at maturity, with seeds sunk in regular transverse cavities in the woody endocarp; seeds up to 50 or more, c.2.0 × 0.6 × 0.4 cm, linear-ellipsoid, not compressed, light brown mottled with darker brown.

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution

Cultivada en Colombia; Alt. 0 - 1540 m.; Amazonia, Andes, Islas Caribeñas, Llanura del Caribe, Orinoquia, Pacífico, Valle del Cauca, Valle del Magdalena.

Morphology General Habit

Árbol

Use Animal Food

Used as animal food.

Use Environmental

Environmental uses.

Use Fuel

Used for fuels.

Use Food

Used for food.

Use Invertebrate Food

Used as invertebrate food.

Use Materials

Used as material.

Use Medicines

Medical uses.

Use Poisons

Poisons.

Use

An ornamental tree

Use

Ornamental.