Delonix regia

The Delonix regia, commonly known as the Flamboyant, is a tropical splendour that all travellers who have had the chance to admire it in bloom cannot forget. The magnificent scarlet flowering that covers the tree's crown rightfully earns it its common name. The large flowers grouped in bouquets have a very graphic shape in addition to their intense colours. The foliage is also very ornamental, composed of long doubly cut leaves, with small leaflets of a fairly dark green colour. Except in areas which are frost-free, it should be grown in containers, in order to be protected from the risk of frost during winter.

The Flamboyant is a tree of the Fabaceae family (formerly Leguminosae), the 3rd largest in terms of number of species (nearly 20,000). This tree is native to Madagascar and has since spread to tropical and equatorial countries, and then to other climates that are warm enough for it to thrive. In the tropics, in the Caribbean or Southeast Asia, it forms large trees up to 15 or 20 m (49 ft 2 in or 65 ft 7 in) tall, with abundant foliage and a very vegetative, sometimes irregular or even ungainly habit. The flowering is magnificent and spread throughout the foliage mass. In warm Mediterranean subtropical climates, such as on the island of Tenerife, where it is frequently planted as a street tree in cities, it is smaller in size, about 5 to 7 or 8 m (23 or 26 ft 2 in) tall and just as wide, and occasionally even more. Its habit is stocky and spreading, with branches of a fairly large diameter, supporting a crown in the shape of a dome that is much less leafy than in the tropics. The flowering is even more prominent, covering the surface of the dome with a curtain of scarlet red or yellow-orange, depending on the variety.

A fully blooming Flamboyant attracts attention from dozens of metres away. It is covered with flattened clusters, or corymbs, composed of large flowers measuring 7 to 10 cm (2.8 to 3.9 in) in diameter, with a corolla formed by 5 petals. Tapered at the base, they then broaden into a spread spatula shape, while the much more discreet sepals form a star with 5 interspersed branches between the petals. The whole vaguely resembles a large snowflake with its very geometric shape. One of the petals is marked with white and a bouquet of 10 stamens emerges from the centre of the corolla. In Madagascar, flowering occurs at the end of the dry season, from November to January. In our latitudes, it extends from June to August.

The foliage is also very structural, consisting of long leaves that can reach 60 cm (23.6 in) in length, of a relatively dark and beautiful green. They are bipinnate, more precisely paripinnate and doubly compound: from the main rachis, around fifteen to twenty lateral secondary rachises emerge, each carrying 20 to 30 pairs of small elliptical leaflets, 8 to 10 mm (0.3 to 0.4 in) long, arranged face to face. This particular arrangement evokes the delicacy of the foliage of certain ferns and creates sublime backlit effects when looking up at the tree.

The trunk, often single in the tropics, can also divide from the base into 2 or 3 main axes which then branch out. The bark is a fairly light grey colour.
It grows in well-drained humus-rich soil, sandy to slightly clayey. It appreciates humidity, but once well rooted, it can tolerate dry periods. It is clearly a tropical plant that cannot withstand frost. When grown in containers, it is even preferable not to wait until the temperature approaches 0°C (32 °F) to move it indoors. A veranda or a cool garage can then accommodate it in winter, provided that the latter is very bright, as it is a sun-loving plant.

The Delonix regia can only be planted outdoors in the mildest areas or in microclimates spared from frost. When grown in containers, it should be pruned every year to limit its growth, which can affect its flowering. One must also be patient, as this tree is known to bloom late, sometimes after 10 years of planting... Where its planting in open ground is attempted, it can be planted with other exotic plants such as the Jacaranda mimosifolia, one of the few trees that can rival it, and is also known as the Blue Flamboyant. The Cassia floribunda, with its bright yellow flowers, is a small bush that can be planted at its base to create a stunning contrast of colours.