Download peacock flower - Trees from Seeds

PEACOCK FLOWER
CAESALPINIA PULCHERRIMA
Opposite Metta Home
Variant Flava
Leith Rd
Raffles CC Palm
Variant Rosea
In the genus Caesalpinia the most popularly planted species is Caesalpinia pulcherrima.
Common names for this species include Poinciana, Peacock Flower, Red Bird of
Paradise, Mexican Bird of Paradise, Dwarf Poinciana, Pride of Barbados, and
flamboyan-de-jardin.
It is a striking ornamental plant, widely grown in tropical gardens. It is also the national
flower of the Caribbean island of Barbados, and is depicted on the Queen's personal
Barbadian flag.
It is also found in many parts of India, known by the names Krishnachura or
Radhachura (Bengali), Guletura (Hindi), Kenjige (Kannada), Settimandaram
(Malayalam), Krishnachura (Manipuri), Sankasur (Marathi), Krishnochuda (Oriya),
Sidhakya (Sanskrit), Mayurkonrai (Tamil), Ratnagandhi (Telugu).
In S E Asia, known as Jambul Merak, Cana,
It is commonly planted as an ornamental shrub in domestic and public gardens and has a
beautiful inflorescence in yellow, red and orange. Its small size and the fact that it
tolerates pruning well which allows it to be planted in groups to form a hedgerow; it can
be also used to attract hummingbirds.
Singapore Locations:
NParks FloraWeb:
Family: Fabaceae (Leguminosae)
Common Name: Barbados-pride, Paradise Flower, Peacock Flower, Barbados Flower Fence, Flamboyant
Tree, Gold Mohur, Pride of Barbados, Jambul Merak, Dwarf Poinciana, Flower Fence, Jambol Merak, Cana,
Barbados Pride, Red Bird of Paradise
Common Name (Chinese): 金凤花, 洋凤花, 孔雀花
Synonym: Poinciana pulcerrima
Origin: West Indies, Mexico
Leaf Colour: Green
Leaf Texture: Smooth
Flower Colour: Orange, Red
Fruit Colour: Brown
Maximum Height (m): 2 - 8
Others: Featured in 1001 Garden Plants in Singapore book
Butterfly Host Plant: Eurema hecabe contubernalis (Common Grass Yellow, 宽边黄粉蝶)
Plant Description:
Shrub or small tree, commonly planted around Singapore for its showy, brightly-coloured flowers. Blooming
is reduced when plant is under too much shade. Stems and branches are prickly, so handle with care.
Species epithet 'pulcherrima' means 'most beautiful', a reference to the plant's attractive flowers.
Although all parts of plant are toxic, different parts could have various medicinal properties.
Leaf
Area
* for Green Plot Ratio
Index
(LAI):
4.5
(Shrub
&
Groundcover
-
Dicot)
Ethnobotanical Uses: Herb & Spice (Medicinal)
The juice from the flowers are said to cure sores. The leaves are used to treat fever. The seeds are used to
cure breathing difficulty and chest pain. The bark is used to treat diarrhoea.
Description
Form
It is a very beautiful, free-flowering, woody shrub growing to 3 m tall, native to tropical
America. It has thorny stems.
Leaves
The leaves are bipinnate, 20-40 cm long, bearing 3-10 pairs of pinnate, each with 6-10
pairs of obovate leaflets 15-25 mm long and 10-15 mm broad.
Flowers
The flowers are borne in racemes up to 20 cm long, each flower with five yellow, orange
or red petals. It has orange sepals and stalked red petals with broad golden yellow frills
and wavy border.
Fruit
The fruit is a pod 6-12 cm long contains seeds that can be eaten raw when young..
Trunk
FLOWERING TIMINGS
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Leaves
Flowers
Fruits
Medicinal Uses
Medicine men in the Amazon Rainforest have long known some of the medicinal uses for
Caesalpinia pulcherrima, which is known as ayoowiri. The juice from the leaves is said
to cure fever, the juice from the flower is said to cure sores, and the seeds are said to cure
bad cough, breathing difficulty, and chest pain. Four grams from the root is also said to
induce abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy.
The young seeds can be eaten raw.
It is the host plant of the common Grass Yellow Butterfly.
Growing from Seeds
1.
Collect ripe pods from tree
2.
Remove the seeds from the pod
3.
Soak seeds in water for 5 – 7 days, change water daily,
4.
Fill bottom of pot with LECA
5.
Fill with potting mix
6.
Arrange seeds on the top
7.
Cover with thin layer of potting mix
8.
Water with sprayer. Seeds germinate in 7 – 14 days.
9.
Add diluted liquid fertilizer once a month
10.
Can last for 2 to 3 years