Delonix regia, popularly called Gulmohar, belongs to family of Fabaceae likes warm tropical climate and thrive best in Tropical and Sub tropical region. It is one of the earliest ornamental trees planted in the history of Indian Urban Landscape as Avenue plant and in the parks. So commonly it is found on roads that it’s also called a ‘Street Tree’.
Gulmohar is fast growing and easy to grow tree and considered as one of the most elegant trees with Ornament brilliance giving pride to your garden. It's beautiful foliage and orange-red or red flowers which bloom from end April to even August when complimented with synchronized flowering of Amaltas is a treat to eyes. It is a large deciduous tree and the leaves turns yellow when shedding takes place in November and remains bare till end March.
The tree bark is slightly rough greyish brown in colour which facilitates easy hole evasions for cavity nesting birds like common Myna. The leaves are compound bipinnate, paripinnate, feathery, leaflets opposite, rachis long swollen at the base. The flowers appear in loose cluster each with five spoon shaped petals.
The flowers are arranged in corymbose raceme. Sepals are five, thick, green outside and red inside. Petals five, four spoon shaped, spreading and one conspicuous, different than others in colour. Stamens ten, polyandrous, grouped around the style. Pods are green and flaccid when young which later turn dark brown and woody which remain long time on the tree.
Amarjeet Singh Batth
Things to remember while planting
Primarily used for floral beauty
Gulmohar, however, does not have timber value but yields quality charcoal. The bark, leaves and flowers used as purgative, well tree has no medicinal value and is seldom affected by diseases and pests. It is has great cultural significance in Kerala.
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