Delonix regia (Bojer ex Hook.) Raf.
Descriptions
Caesalpiniaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:2. 1958
- Note
- Commonly planted ornamental, known in West Africa as “Flame of the Forest“or “Flamboyant “, now subspontaneous in many localities
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Posterior petal variegated red and white, other petals red with orange claw.
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.
DescriptionOverview: 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 conservationAlthough 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.
UsesDelonix 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 storageKew'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
CultivationDelonix 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 KewDried 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
Uses
- Use
- Environmental, Food and Drink, Miscellaneous
- 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.
Common Names
- English
- Flamboyant
Sources
-
Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia
- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
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Colombian resources for Plants made Accessible
- ColPlantA 2021. Published on the Internet at http://colplanta.org
- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
-
Flora Zambesiaca
- Flora Zambesiaca
- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
-
Flora of Somalia
- Flora of Somalia
- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
-
Flora of West Tropical Africa
- Flora of West Tropical Africa
- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
-
Herbarium Catalogue Specimens
-
IUCN Categories
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
-
International Legume Database and Information Service
- International Legume Database and Information Service (ILDIS) V10.39 Nov 2011
- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
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Kew Living Collection Database
- Common Names from Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Living Collection https://www.kew.org/
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Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
- The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
- © Copyright 2022 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
-
Kew Science Photographs
- Copyright applied to individual images
-
Kew Species Profiles
- Kew Species Profiles
- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
-
Legumes of the World Online
- Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
-
Seed Information Database
- Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. (2019) Seed Information Database (SID). Version 7.1. Available from: http://data.kew.org/sid/ (September 2019)
- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
-
Universidad Nacional de Colombia
- ColPlantA database
- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
-
Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia
- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
-
World Checklist of Vascular plants (WCVP)
- The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
- © Copyright 2022 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0