CAESALPINIA

Caesalpinia Plum. ex L., Sp. Pl. 380. 1753; Gen. Pl. ed. 5. 178. 1754; Parker, For. Fl. Punj. ed.1. 171.1918 (Reprint 1973); Fl. China @ eFloras.org 10: 41; Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org.

Trees, shrubs or woody climbers, armed or not. Leaves large, bipinnate, stipules various. Flowers yellow or red, often showy, in loose, axillary or terminal racemes or panicles. Calyx tube short, lobes 5, imbricate, the lowest (abaxial or anterior) outside, concave and usually larger than the rest. Petals 5, clawed, orbicular, rarely oblong, spreading, imbricate, subequal or the upper (adaxial or posterior) smaller and innermost. Stamens 10, free, declinate (bent or curved downwards); filaments often villous or glandular at the base. Monocarpellary, ovary sessile or subsessile, unilocular with few ovules; style filiform, sometimes clavate at the top; stigma terminal, truncate or concave. Legumes oblong or ligulate, dehiscent or not, smooth or prickly.

10 species

Caesalpinia pulcherrima

Caesalpinia pulcherrima (L.) Swartz, Observ. Bot. 166. 1791; Baker in Hook. f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 2: 225. 1879; Parker, For. Fl. Punj. ed. 1. 173. 1918 (Reprint 1973); ed. 3. 173. 1956; Fl. China @ eFloras.org 10: 45; Fl. Pak. @ eFloras.org; keralaplants.in; Poinciana pulcherrima L., Sp. Pl. 1: 390. 1753.

Shrubs or small trees, nearly 2 m tall. Branches green or farinose-green, unarmed or with scattered sparse prickles. Leaves 10-25 (-45) cm long, bipinnate; petioles long, pulvinate; pinnae 4-12 pairs, opposite, 6-12 cm long; petiolules short, pulvinate; leaflets 7-13 pairs, oblong or obovate, 1-2 cm x 3-8 mm, base oblique, apex emarginate, sometimes acute, margin entire; petiolules minute. Flowers zygomorphic, bisexual, pentamerous, perigynous, large, showy, ca. 3.7 cm across, yellow or orange-red, in terminal or axillary corymbose racemes, lax, up to 25 cm long. Pedicels unequal in length, 4.5-7 cm long. Receptacle concave to turbinate, glabrous. Bracts small, linear, caducous. Sepals 5, glabrous, ca. 1 cm long, lowest (anterior or adaxial) one large, ca. 1.4 cm long, green or red. Petals 5, free, yellow, orange or red with yellow or creamish-white margin, orbicular, 1-2.5 cm long, the upper petal (posterior or abaxial) smaller and of different colour (yellow), margin wavy, with claw subequal to limb in length. Stamens 10, free, all fertile, very far exserted; filaments white or red, 5-6 cm long, thick and hairy in basal part; anthers small. Ovary glabrous, unilocular, ovules many, placentation marginal; style orange-yellow, long, 5-6.5 mm. Legumes blackish-brown when ripe, oblanceolate-oblong, 6-10 cm x 1.5-2 cm, straight, smooth, glabrous, flattened, apex rounded, sharp beaked, dehiscent. Seeds 6-9.

Flowering and Fruiting: April to September
Common Names: Peacock Flower, Pride of Barbados, Dwarf Poinciana; Gul- Mohri, Gul-e- tura (Hindi)