Family: Fabaceae
Common name: Peacock flower, Red bird of paradise, Dwarf poinciana, Pride of Barbados
Technically a shrub, Peacock flower plant can grow to about 3 meters, making it essentially as big as a garden tree. These trees are native to West Indies, but they are now at home in almost all countries of the world.
They resemble Gulmohar trees or Delonix regia in leaves and flowers, but is not as tall as the Gulmohar. They are also ever-green and bloom throughout the year. The leaves are very pretty, bi-pinnate with 3-10 pairs of pinnae, each pinna having 8-10 pairs of small leaflets.
The most striking feature of the tree are the lovely flowers; a mix of pink, yellow, reddish-orange and white. Some flowers are pure yellow with very prominent sepals, petals, stamen and pistils.
The conical, multi-layered inflorescence has small globular buds that open into flowers from the base. The sepals are also very prominent below the petals. After pollination, they then form long slim seeds pods, about 10 cm long, which burst open to release the seeds.
Peacock flowers can bloom throughout the year, making it the perfect ornamental tree for your garden. The flowers also attract hummingbirds and butterflies. All parts of the plant, especially the seeds are toxic.
Peacock flowers are the national flower of Barbados, even depicted on the top corners of the flag.
But they also have many medicinal uses, in treating gastric and uterine ailments. The stem also has scattered prickles, making the tree a good candidate for tall hedges. They are hardy plants and need very little maintenance.
Propagation is through seeds.
