Delonix regia

Delonix regia is a species of flowering plant in the bean family Fabaceae, subfamily Caesalpinioideae native to Madagascar. It is noted for its fern-like leaves and flamboyant display of orange-red flowers over summer. In many tropical parts of the world it is grown as an ornamental tree. It is a non-nodulating legume. Although its country of origin was unknown, it had been in widespread cultivation for centuries. Finally, in 1932, a natural colony was discovered on the west coast of Madagascar by J. Leandri.

Description

A tree which loses its leaves during the year in places with a long dry season. It grows to 12 m tall and spreads to 6 m wide. The trunk is stout and has knots. The bark is thick and greyish brown. The leaves are twice divided and are feathery. The leaves are bright green. They are 30-50 cm long divided into 10-25 pairs of leaflets. The flowers are orange to scarlet. They have 5 club shaped petals. Flowers are 10-13 cm across. The fruit are reddish brown long pods. The pods can be 60 cm long. They are green and flexible when young and hard and brown when mature. They contain mottled yellow seeds which are oblong.

Edible Uses

In addition to its ornamental value, it is a useful shade tree in tropical conditions, because it usually grows to a modest height (mostly 5 m or 15 ft, but it can reach a maximum height of 12 m or 40 ft) but spreads widely, and its dense foliage provides full shade. In areas with a marked dry season, it sheds its leaves during the drought, but in other areas it is virtually evergreen.

Traditional Uses

The young leaves are sometimes eaten as a vegetable. The flower buds are eaten as a pot herb. The seeds contain a gum. They are eaten. The green fruit are roasted and eaten.

Medicinal Uses

The leaves, flowers, seed and bark of this plant contain a range of medicinally active compounds, though the leaves are generally the richest source of most of these compounds. The plant is reported to have antibacterial, antidiabetic, antidiarrhoeal, antifungal, antiinflammatory, antimalarial, antimicrobial, antioxidant, cardio-protective, gastro-protective, hepato-protective and wound healing activity. It is used in folk medicine to treat a range of disorders, including constipation, inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, pneumonia, and malaria. The active compounds include flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, sterols, beta-sitosterol, lupeol, tannins, carotenoids, and phenolic acids. Flavonoids and triterpenes have been shown to have analgesic activities and the flavonoids are also powerful antioxidants. The bark has medicinal properties. An aqueous extract has shown emetic properties. An aqueous extract of the flowers is active against roundworm. The metabolite-rich fractions of the sequentially extracted flowers and seeds have shown antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Rhizopus bataticola and Fusarium auxisporum A leaf decoction presumably has anti-rheumatic effects. In eastern Nigeria the leaves are used traditionally for treating pain. The leaves contain flavonoids, phenolic compounds, triterpenes and sterols. A methanolic extract of the leaves has shown a significant analgesic potential. An ethanol extraction of the leaves has been shown to exert a cardio-protective effect, at least partly due to its vasodilatory and antiinflammatory activity. It has also shown potential for improving liver and kidney functions whilst showing no negative side effects. An essential oil obtained from the leaves has shown fungicidal properties.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It is native to Madagascar. They are frost tender. They need full sunlight. They need a fertile, moist but well drained soil. The temperatures need to be above 18-21°C for seeds to grow. Trees must have a temperature above 7°C. In Nepal it grows up to 1000 m altitude. It suits hardiness zones 11-12.

Where It Grows

Africa, Andaman Is., Angola, Asia, Australia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belize, British Indian Ocean Terr., BIOT, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Caribbean, Central America, Chad, China, Christmas Island, Colombia, Comoros, Cook Is., Congo DR, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, East Africa, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guiana, Guianas, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Kenya, Laos, Libya, Madagascar*, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mariana Islands, Marquesas, Mauritius, Mediterranean, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, New Caledonia, Niger, Niue, North America, Northeastern India, Oman, Pacific, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Rotuma, SE Asia, Sikkim, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad-Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, USA, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Indies, Yap, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Cultivation

Trees can be grown from seed or cuttings. Cuttings grow best in soil with bottom heat. The seeds can be placed in boiling water for 2 minutes, then soaked in cold water for 24 hours to help them germinate.

Propagation

Seed - has a hard, woody testa and takes a long time to germinate. It may lie for 2 - 3 years in the soil without germinating and usually take 12 - 349 days to germinate. To break this dormancy the seed needs to be scarified by carefully abrading a small part of the seed coat, being careful not to damage the embryo. Alternatively, pour a small quantity of almost boiling water over the seed, making sure it cools down before the seed is cooked, then soak the seed for 12 - 24 hours in warm water prior to sowing. After treated seeds are sown in unshaded nursery beds, they germinate within 5 - 10 days, with a germination rate of up to 90%. Subsequent growth in the nursery is quite fast. Seedlings watered and weeded regularly are planted out in the rainy season, with a total time required in the nursery being 3 - 5 months. Keeping the plants for more than 9 months is not desirable, as they become too tall to handle, but seedlings can be transplanted even when 20 - 25 cm tall. Seeds can be stored for a long time if insect attack is avoided, which can be done by adding ash to the seeds. Seed storage behaviour is orthodox and a germination rate of 47% has been recorded after 9 years of storage at room temperature; with no loss in viability following 4 years of storage. Trees can also be propagated from branch cuttings.

Other Uses

The tree yields a thick mucilage of gum, produced in yellowish or reddish-brown warty tears. The gum is soluble in water, forming a thick opalescent mucilage. It contains a large quantity of calcium oxalate. The seeds contain gum that may find use in the textile and food industries. The seeds contain around 17.2% oil. This oil contains normal glycerides, low unsaturation and will be very good for the production of soaps and shampoos. The hard, elongated seeds are occasionally used as beads and to make necklaces. The aqueous extracts of the plant contain allelopathic compounds, including phenolic acids, alkaloids and flavonoids; these can be used as natural herbicides and pesticides to increase the productivity of agricultural crops. An essential oil obtained from the leaves is fungicidal. The heartwood is yellowish to light brown; the sapwood light yellow. The wood is soft, heavy, coarse grained, weak, brittle, takes a good polish and is rather resistant to moisture and insects although very susceptible to attack by dry-wood termites. A very durable construction timber, but large dimension wood is rarely available. The large pods as well as the wood are used for fuel. The wood is made into charcoal. The tree is planted to provide shade in tea plantations, compounds etc. The tree can be planted as live fence posts. It is grown on eroded sites for erosion control, and for soil rehabilitation and improvement through atmospheric nitrogen fixation.

Production

The pods take about 2 years to ripen.

Notes

There are 2 (10) Delonix species. Also as Caesalpinaceae.

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Ai-akasi, Alamboronala, Diep bong do, Diep tay, Fang daeng, Fang hang nhoung, Flamboyant Tree, Fuaitansanga, Ginimaa, Gold mohur, Golmaar, Gulmohr, Gulmohur, Hahng-nok-yoong, Kngaok barang, Kok fang nyung, Krishnachura, Mak fang, Mayarum, Merqaya, Mjohoro, Mkakaya, Phuong, Phuongvi, Poyon flamboyant, Shima sankesula

References (61)

• Addis, G., et al, 2013, The Role of Wild and Semi-wild Edible Plants in Household Food Sovereignty in Hamer and Konso Communities, South Ethiopia. Ethnobotany Research & Applications. 11:251-271
• Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 165
• Barrau, J., 1976, Subsistence Agriculture in Polynesia and Micronesia. Bernice P. Bishop Museu, Bulletin 223 Honolulu Hawaii. Kraus reprint. p 56
• Barwick, M., 2004, Tropical and Subtropical Trees. A Worldwide Encyclopedic Guide. Thames and Hudson p 140
• Blamey, M and Grey-Wilson, C., 2005, Wild flowers of the Mediterranean. A & C Black London. p 110

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