A Royal Poinciana tree in bloom.
The Royal Poinciana trees at Hualalai are currently cloaked in scarlet. The tree pictured above sits along the main entry to the resort just outside of the Hualalai Realty Company. This is considered a medium-sized tree capable of reaching 40 feet in height. It’s botanical name is Delonix regia and is a native of Madagascar. In other regions of the world it may be called Flame Tree, Flamboyan or the Flamboyant Tree. The Royal Poinciana is a summer to early fall bloomer and many folks are very disappointed when they learn that this tree goes deciduous in the tropics beginning in late December and extending through March. But, to see them ablaze in late June through September is a real treat. For the past month, visitors and guests have been stopping along the road to photograph this tree.
Close up, the flowers slightly resemble an orchid. Each odorless flower measures 4-5 inches across and may be orange with streaks of yellow or crimson red with a spot of white. Once the flowers drop, the orange petals litter the ground and remain colored as they dry. The seed pods produced can measure 5 to 20 inches in length and resemble a huge lima bean. They tend to stay on the tree until the next blooming season and will turn woody and dark brown with age. Some pods take on a boomerang like curvature and many a local child has used a Poinciana pod as a rattling, toy sword. Inside the pod are many oblong ,mottled brown seeds which are sometimes drilled and made into lei with other seeds.
Freshly fallen flowers
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