Caesalpinia pulcherrima

Primary tabs

Caesalpinia pulcherrima

Description

Shrub or small tree, up to 5 m tall, glabrous; branchlets unarmed or with a few straight prickles. Leaves: rachis 20-40 cm; pinnae 5-9 pairs, often with a small subulate stipel (c. 0.5 mm long) between the pair. Stipules subulate, c. 2 mm long, caducous. Inflores- cences axillary and terminal, racemose, sometimes paniculate, 20-50 cm long, rachis glabrous, rarely with a few straight prickles; bracts c. 5 by 0.5 mm; pedicels 70-100 mm, not articulated. Sepals 10-15 by 5-7 mm, ciliate. Petals yellow or flame-red, or red with a yellow margin, 10-25 by 6-8 mm, clawed (claw up to 15 mm long). Stamens very far exserted; filaments 55-75 mm; anthers 1.5-2.5 mm long, glabrous. Seeds slightly rectangular, 8-10 by 6-8 mm, black, dull.

Distribution

tropical America, tropics of the world present
Originating in tropical America; widely distributed in the tropics of the world

Uses

Cultivated as an ornamental throughout Malesia, naturalized in some regions. See

Citation

J.E. Vidal 1980: p. 24. – In: Fl. Camb., Laos & Vietnam: pl. 2/1-7
Hattink 1974 – In: Reinwardtia: 50
J.E. Vidal 1984: p. 65. – In: Fl. Thailand: f. 15/ 1-7
Rudd 1991 – In: Fl. Ceylon: 46.