Delonix regia

Considered by many to be one of the most beautiful trees in the world, the Royal Poinciana produces large showy clusters of 4" wide, 5 petaled deep orange-red flowers with the uppermost petal, the standard, having a showy splash of creamy white to sunny yellow. The large, finely cut, mimosa-like foliage adorns this semi-evergreen to deciduous tree with a broadly spreading naturally rounded, widely spreading crown that makes a nice tropical shade tree. The Royal Poinciana is vigorous growing and prefers a full sun to mostly sun, well-drained site in tropical climates but can be grown as a large container plant with careful pruning. The Royal Poinciana or Flamboyant Tree is only limited by its tropical nature and prefers tropical climates and areas where temperatures rarely if ever drop below freezing such as south Florida and the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas. The root system is shallow and it should be planted far enough from sidewalks and foundations to prevent damage and the shallow roots make it difficult to grow other plants and even grass beneath it. Native but somewhat rare in Madagascar, the Royal Poinciana naturally goes semi-dormant dropping its foliage during extended dry periods but tends to remain mostly evergreen in the moist tropical climates of the US. It may drop some foliage during shipment or during cold periods.