''Caesalpinia pulcherrima'' is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the

pea Pea (''pisum'' in Latin) is a pulse or fodder crop, but the word often refers to the seed or sometimes the pod of this flowering plant species. Peas are eaten as a vegetable. Carl Linnaeus gave the species the scientific name ''Pisum sativum' ...

family

Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomen ...

, native to the

tropics The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

and

subtropics The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical and climate zones immediately to the north and south of the tropics. Geographically part of the temperate zones of both hemispheres, they cover the middle latitudes from to approximately ...

of the

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

. It could be native to the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

, but its exact origin is unknown due to widespread cultivation. Common names for this species include poinciana, peacock flower, red bird of paradise, Mexican bird of paradise, dwarf poinciana, pride of Barbados, flos pavonis, and ''flamboyant-de-jardin''. The Hawaiian name for this plant is ʻohai aliʻi.

Description

Peacock Flower or Pride-of-Barbados -- Caesalpinia pulcherrima

It is a

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

growing to 3 m tall. In climates with few to no frosts, this plant will grow larger and is semievergreen. In Hawaii this plant is evergreen and grows over 5 m tall. Grown in climates with light to moderate freezing, it will die back to the ground during the winter, but will rebound in mid- to late spring. This species is more sensitive to cold than others. The

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

are bipinnate, 20–40 cm long, bearing three to 10 pairs of pinnae, each with six to 10 pairs of leaflets 15–25 mm long and 10–15 mm broad. The

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s are borne in

raceme A raceme () or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate growth, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are ...

s up to 20 cm long, each flower with five yellow, orange, or red petals. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

is a pod 6–12 cm long.

Taxonomy

''Poinciana pulcherrima'' is a synonym of ''Caesalpinia pulcherrima''.

Symbolism

''Caesalpinia pulcherrima'' is the national flower of the Caribbean island of

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

, and is depicted on the upper left and right corners of the Queen Elizabeth II's personal Barbadian flag.

Claire Waight Keller Clare Waight Keller (born 19 August 1970) is a British stylist and fashion designer, who has served as the artistic director for a number of luxury fashion houses and brands, including Pringle of Scotland, Chloé, and Givenchy. In 2023, she la ...

included pride of Barbados to represent the country in

Meghan Markle Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (; born Rachel Meghan Markle, August 4, 1981) is an American member of the British royal family, media personality, entrepreneur, and former actress. She is married to Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, the younger son ...

wedding A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicity, ethnicities, Race (human categorization), races, religions, Religious denomination, denominations, Cou ...

veil, which included the distinctive flora of each

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

country.

Uses

Food

All seeds of ''Caesalpinia'' are poisonous. However, the seeds of some species are edible before they reach maturity (e.g. immature seeds of ''C. pulcherrima'') or after treatment (e.g. ''C. bonduc'' after roasting).

Traditional medicine

Maria Sibylla Merian Maria Sibylla Merian (2 April 164713 January 1717) was a German Entomology, entomologist, naturalist and scientific illustrator. She was one of the earliest European naturalists to document observations about insects directly. Merian was a desce ...

, a 17th-century artist, encountered this plant in the

Dutch colony The Dutch colonial empire () comprised overseas territories and trading posts under some form of Dutch control from the early 17th to late 20th centuries, including those initially administered by Dutch chartered companies—primarily the Du ...

of Surinam. In her work, ''Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium'', Merian recorded that African slaves and native Indian populations used the ''flos pavonis'' or ''peacock flower'' as an

abortifacient An abortifacient ("that which will cause a miscarriage" from Latin: '' abortus'' "miscarriage" and '' faciens'' "making") is a substance that induces abortion. This is a nonspecific term which may refer to any number of substances or medications, ...

in their practice of

traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) refers to the knowledge, skills, and practices rooted in the cultural beliefs of various societies, especially Indigenous groups, used for maintaining health and treatin ...

. She wrote:

The Indians, who are not treated well by their Dutch masters, use the seeds
f this plant F, or f, is the sixth letter of the Latin alphabet and many modern alphabets influenced by it, including the modern English alphabet and the alphabets of all other modern western European languages. Its name in English is ''ef'' (pronounce ...
to abort their children, so that their children will not become slaves like they are. The black slaves from Guinea and Angola have demanded to be well treated, threatening to refuse to have children. They told me this themselves.

The leaves, flower, bark, and seeds of ''C. pulcherrima'' were also used by American Indians in traditional medicine as abortifacients and for

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

by enslaved peoples.

Ornamental

''Caesalpinia pulcherrima'' is the most widely cultivated species in the genus ''Caesalpinia''. It is a striking ornamental plant, widely grown in domestic and public gardens in warm climates with mild winters, and has a beautiful inflorescence in yellow, red, and orange. Its small size and the fact that it tolerates

pruning Pruning is the selective removal of certain parts of a plant, such as branches, buds, or roots. It is practiced in horticulture (especially fruit tree pruning), arboriculture, and silviculture. The practice entails the targeted removal of di ...

well allows it to be planted in groups to form a

hedgerow A hedge or hedgerow is a line of closely spaced (3 feet or closer) shrubs and sometimes trees, planted and trained to form a barrier or to mark the boundary of an area, such as between neighbouring properties. Hedges that are used to separate ...

; it can be also used to attract

hummingbird Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the Family (biology), biological family Trochilidae. With approximately 366 species and 113 genus, genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but most species are found in Cen ...

s.Frisch, J.D. & Frisch, C.D., ''Aves Brasileiras e Plantas que as atraem'', São Paulo: Dalgas Ecotec, 2005, 398, In cultivation in the UK this plant has gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. It includes the full range of cultivated p ...

Gallery

File:Peacock flower overview 01.jpg, orange red variant flower File:Pollen grains of Caesalpinia pulcherrima (cropped).jpg, Pollen grains File:Peacock flower blooming.jpg, Buds opening File:Caesalpinia pulcherrima yellow variety in Mihintale, Sri Lanka.jpg, Yellow flowers File:Caesalpinia pulcherrima - Peacock Flower.jpg, "Peacock" flower File:Bunga Merak (Peacock Flower).jpg, Red Peacock Flower

References

External links

{{Authority control Caesalpinieae Flora of the Amazon Flora of the Caribbean Flora of Central America Medicinal plants of North America Medicinal plants of South America Plants described in 1791 National symbols of Barbados Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Flora without expected TNC conservation status