Royal ponciana, Flamboyant, Flametree, Gold mohar (Honey bee plants of Hawaii, United States)

Royal ponciana, Flamboyant, Flametree, Gold mohar

Delonix regia

Summary ⁴

Pollen: Good
Nectar: Low, not annual
Extrafloral secretion

Blooms May to August. A fast growing tree it requires a deep soil, but tolerates a dry climate. Propagated by seed. (p. 70 La Corre 1985)

Flowering time 11-2, 12 Madagascar. Magnificent large tree with umbrella crown of feathery leaves. Common name coined by Mark Twain while visiting Natal [KZN]. Orchid-like red flowers, with the lower middle petal white to cream-coloured and streaked with red nectar guides. This flag petal folds up and changes to an orange-red colour in flowers that proabably have been successfully pollinated. Such flowers are not attended by bees. High activity of nectar and pollen gaters has been noticed for an entire day, but usually the flowers are without bees, probably because of dry soil. Extrafoloral nectar is secreted as droplets in any position on the leaf stalk. This was seen to be collected by honeybees, whilst the flowers ont the same tree were not visited. Pollen is eagarly gathered in red pellets. Under a microscope it was noticed that pollen grains have much yellow oil on their surfaces. No flowering takes place when rains fail. (Johannsmeier, M. F. (2016). Beeplants of South Africa: Sources of Nectar, Pollen, Honeydew and Propolis for Honeybees)

Of all Hawaii's flowering tree, the royal poinciana is easily the most conspicous for sheer color and brightness. While it is often almost almost a solid mass of red, it is not merely colorful but a graceful and picturesque tree. It form is a flat umbrella in the smaller specimens, or a dome of long sweeping curves in larger ones, the branches having been pulled down by the weight of its heavy pods. The tree may become forty feet high, if growing under favorable conditions, but if the roots are craped it remains small. Although bare for a short time in winter, some trees begin to bloom in early spring, while others wait until late summer to open. June is the month when most of them are in flower. Individual poiniana flowers difficult to distinguis in the masses of bloom, have five petals. One of these, on the flag red trees, is white. It is yellow on trees tending toward orange scarlet coloring. These light touches give a piquant effect to the mass of color. Very heavy, long, brown pods filled with seeds, hand on the tree for months after blooming. The flowers usually appear on the bare tree before the new foliage comes out, but in a short the leaves appear, but in a short time the leaves appear,and for some weeks the green and red coloring remain together. The leaves are fernlike, doubly compound in form, with very small leaflets. (Kuck, L. E., & Tongg, R. C. (1965). Hawaiian flowers & flowering trees)

Sources and Credits

More Info

iNat Map

‹ › ×