Royal Poinciana Care: How to Grow Delonix regia

Royal poinciana (Delonix regia) is a big, flat-crowned flowering tree for frost-free climates, and it needs space. UF/IFAS says it is native to Madagascar and known for its showy red to orange flowers, and EDIS says it is often broader than tall, about 40 feet high and 60 feet wide. Plant it in full sun, water it well until it is established, and then it is highly tolerant of drought and salt. Sources give zones 9b to 11 or 10B to 11, so check your own winter lows. It is also called flamboyant or flame tree.

USDA zones

9b–11 (UF/IFAS) or 10B–11 (ST228)

Sun

Full sun

Origin

Africa

Size

About 40 ft high, 60 ft wide (ST228)

Water

Regular until established; drought and salt tolerant after

Bloom time

May to July (UF/IFAS)

Invasive status

Caution, manage to prevent escape (UF/IFAS)

Where can you grow royal poinciana?

It is a deciduous tree, so it can lose its leaves seasonally. UF/IFAS EDIS describes it as a many-branched, broad, spreading, flat-crowned deciduous tree. It makes a good companion to plumeria in a warm-climate garden, since both want full sun and little frost.

How much room does it need?

EDIS says the tree is often broader than tall, growing about 40 feet high and 60 feet wide, and that trunks can exceed 50 inches in diameter. It says not to plant closer than about 10 feet from pavement or sidewalks. That is a shade tree’s footprint, not a patio plant’s, and the sources do not describe it as a container plant.

Sun, soil and water

Training and pruning

UF/IFAS EDIS says early pruning is required to encourage the development of branches that are well attached to the trunk. It says to train major limbs 8 to 12 feet above the ground and to keep the diameter of major limbs under half the diameter of the trunk. The Gardening Solutions page gives the timing: right before the spring regrowth starts, usually late March into April.

Bloom time

UF/IFAS says the flowers first appear in clusters between May and July and can stay on the tree for a month or more. They are red to orange, and UF/IFAS says yellow cultivars exist.

Common problems

Is royal poinciana invasive?

UF/IFAS EDIS gives it an Invasive Assessment Status of caution: it may be recommended, but should be managed to prevent escape in the South. The page adds that it is not considered a problem species at this time. If you live in the South, check the current UF/IFAS status for your area before you plant.

Grow these next

For a warm-climate flowering plant with a smaller footprint, plumeria grows to about 30 feet, according to Hawaii CTAHR, and can be grown in a pot where winters are cold. The bird of paradise is another zone 10 to 11 flowerer that spends winters indoors farther north.