Caesalpinia pulcherrima

Description

It is a shrub 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 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 flowers are borne in racemes up to 20 cm long, each flower with five yellow, orange, or red petals. The fruit 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, and is depicted on the upper left and right corners of the Queen Elizabeth II's personal Barbadian flag.

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, a 17th-century artist, encountered this plant in the Dutch colony 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 in their practice of traditional medicine. She wrote:

The Indians, who are not treated well by their Dutch masters, use the seeds [of this plant] 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 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 well allows it to be planted in groups to form a hedgerow; it can be also used to attract hummingbirds.

In cultivation in the UK this plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.{{cite web | access-date=12 January 2018}}

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

References

1. Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI). (2019). "''Caesalpinia pulcherrima''".
2. {{GRIN
3. "Tropical Flower Guide".
4. "Ohai Alii – Ceasalpinia pulcherrima".
5. "Poinciana pulcherrima L. — The Plant List".
6. "Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants".
7. (July 24, 2006). "Amazing mystery: A medicine man understood the secrets of this plant long before we did. How?". Boston Globe.
8. (2007). "Plants and empire: colonial bioprospecting in the Atlantic world". Harvard University Press.
9. (18 November 2014). "The History of Abortifacients".
10. Frisch, J.D. & Frisch, C.D., ''Aves Brasileiras e Plantas que as atraem'', São Paulo: Dalgas Ecotec, 2005, 398, {{ISBN. 978-85-85015-07-7