Royal Poinciana
Delonix regia is a species of flowering plant in the bean family Fabaceae, subfamily Caesalpinioideae native to Madagascar. It is noted for its fern-like leaves and flamboyant display of orange-red flowers over summer. In many tropical parts of the world it is grown as an ornamental tree. It is a non-nodulating legume.
Although its country of origin was unknown, it had been in widespread cultivation for centuries. Finally, in 1932, a natural colony was discovered on the west coast of Madagascar by J. Leandri.[1]
Common names
Its common names include "flame tree" (one of several species given this name), peacock flower,[2] royal poinciana,[2] flamboyant,[2] phoenix flower,[citation needed] flame of the forest.[citation needed] The name poinciana comes from a genus it was once placed in named Poinciana after Phillippe de Longvilliers de Poincy, a French noble who once governed the Caribbean island of Saint Kitts.[3]
Indian subcontinent
The tree is planted in India, where it is referred to as the May-flower tree, Gulmohar or Gul Mohr.[4] In West Bengal and Assam it is called Krishna Chura (কৃষ্ণচূড়া), while its known as Nianbānā/Krushnachuṛā (ନିଆଁବାନା/କୃଷ୍ଣଚୂଡ଼ା) in Odisha. In Sri Lanka it is known in Sinhala as the Maara tree, although for a short while it was known as the Lamaasuriya tree after Le Mesurier, the British civil servant who was responsible for introducing it as a shade tree.[5] It is also grown in Karachi, Pakistan. In Mauritius and La Réunion it announces the coming of the new year.
In Bangladesh it is known as krisnachura (কৃষ্ণচূড়া). You can find this tree in various places in Bangladesh. It is found all over Dhaka City and is one of the iconic symbols of the Bengali month of Boishakh. In Nepal it is known as Shirish.
Cultural significance
In the Indian state of Kerala, royal poinciana is called kaalvarippoo (കാൽവരിപ്പൂവ്, kālvarippūv) which means "the flower of Calvary". There is a popular belief among Saint Thomas Christians of Kerala that when Jesus was crucified, there was a small royal poinciana tree nearby his Cross. It is believed that the blood of Jesus Christ was shed over the flowers of the tree and this is how the flowers of royal poinciana got a sharp red color.[6] It is also known as Vaaga in many areas of Kerala.
Its blossom is the national flower of St. Kitts and Nevis,[7] and in May 2018 the royal poinciana was adopted by the city of Key West as its official tree.[8] Known locally as semarak api, Delonix regia is the city flower of Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia.[9]
In Vietnam, this is a popular urban tree and is called Phượng vỹ, or "phoenix's tail". Its flowering season is May–July, which coincides with the end of the school year in Vietnam. Because of this timing, the flower of poinciana is sometimes called the "pupil's flower". The tree is also commonly found on school grounds in Vietnam; however, after several incidents where a tree fell onto students, with one student killed, schools started cutting down or severely pruning the trees.[10] Hải Phòng is nicknamed Thành phố hoa phượng đỏ ("City of red poinciana").
The song "Poinciana" was inspired by the presence of this tree in Cuba.[11][12]
In South India, these trees are common in schools, so children used to play with the stamens of the bud.[13][14]
References
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- ↑ Everard, Barbara; Morley, Brian (1970). Wildflowers of the World. New York: G.P. Putnams Sons. p. Text to plate 113. Search this book on
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Weeds of Australia, retrieved 24 October 2024
- ↑ Rice, Diana (8 May 1938). "Poinciana Trees on the Island of St. Kitts--Belgium's Coast--Swiss Rail Fares". The New York Times. p. 171.
- ↑ Cowen, D. V. (1984). Flowering Trees and Shrubs in India (Sixth ed.). Bombay: Thacker and Co. Ltd. p. 1. Search this book on
- ↑ Devendra, Tissa (2020-11-03). "Lamasuriya trees". Island Newspaper. Colombo.
- ↑ Thomas, Annamma (1984). Kerala Immigrants in America: A Sociological Study of the St. Thomas Christians. Simons Printers. p. 34. Search this book on
- ↑ "How We Are Governed, St. Kitts & Nevis - National Symbols". Archived from the original on 1 October 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2018. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Filosa, Gwen (2018-05-16). "It's invasive and filled with bugs. It's also pretty, and now Key West's official tree". FL Keys News.
- ↑ "Bunga Rasmi Mpsepang". Portal Rasmi Majlis Perbandaran Sepang. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
- ↑ "'Don't kill 'em all,' experts urge as schoolyard trees 'massacred' following fatal middle school accident". 8 June 2020.
- ↑ Giddins, Gary (2018). Bing Crosby: Swinging on a Star: the war years, 1940-1946. NYC: Little Brown & Co. ISBN 978-0316887922. Search this book on
- ↑ Ted Gioia, The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire p. 337 2012 "... 1996 Poinciana Composed by Nat Simon, with lyrics by Buddy Bernier And what exactly, you ask, is a Poinciana? ... They based the song on a Cuban folk tune named "Cancion del Arbol", which translates as—yes, you guessed it!"
- ↑ Muthuramalingam, Vivek (2017-05-10). "A Memoir of Trees". Medium. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
- ↑ Shilpa (2011-05-11). "REFLECTIONS: Summer memories". REFLECTIONS. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
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