Caesalpinia pulcherrima     
Red bird of paradise   
Fabaceae Family     

Caesalpina pulcherrima (mixed cultivars)

Form: informal, vase-shaped, multistemmed shrub
Seasonality: officially evergreen; usually winter deciduous in Tucson
Size: 3-10ft with equal spread; more tree-like in warmer location

leaf form of Caesalpinia pulcherrima

Leaves: bipinnately compound, fern-like, many 3/4in leaflets; normally bright green turning red in winter, sometimes leafless in winter
Flowers: distinctive panicle of bright blooms; flowers are red, orange and yellow with long red stamens; on terminal ends of branches in summer
Fruit: hard brownish pod, 2.5in long, thin and flat, twists when drying, explosively dehiscent, poisonous
Stems/Trunks: inner portion of plant usually shows signs of having been cut back; small thorns look furry but are sharp
Range/Origin: West Indies; common throughout Sonoran deserts, naturalized in Texas
Hardiness: damaged at 32°F, with increasing damage as temperature decreases; killed to ground in teens, sometimes killed outright

LANDSCAPE VALUE:

• summer color
• tropical effect
• background
• reliable, good in medians

C. pulcherrima flowers

flowers on cultivar "Phoenix"

 

CULTURAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Exposure: full sun or light shade, takes heat; not good on north sides; gets leggy in shade and blooming is reduced
• Water: best with regular irrigation; once per week while blooming; height and growth rate determined by water supply
• Soil: tolerant, good drainage
• Propagation: seed, very ease
• Maintenance: moderate; pod cleanup; pruning every year to remove frost damage; sometimes pruned to ground in winter

NOTES:

cultivar 'Phoenix' has bright yellow flowers

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This page was first created September 21, 2001 and last modified March 25, 2005.

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Web page design and photographs by Toni Moore, Master Gardener
email to: tmoore1@flash.net

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