Caesalpinia pulcherrima or Poinciana is the most popularly planted species in the genus Caesalpinia. Common names for this species include Peacock Flower, Red Bird of Paradise, Mexican Bird of Paradise, Dwarf Poinciana, Pride of Barbados, and flamboyan-de-jardin.
This species is native to tropical America. It is a shrub growing to 3 m tall. The leaves are bipinnate, 20-40 cm long, bearing 3-10 pairs of pinnae, each with 6-10 pairs of leaflets 15-25 mm long and 10-15 mm broad. The flowers are borne in racemes up to 20 cm long, each flower with five yellow, orange or red petals. The fruit is a pod 6-12 cm long.
It is a striking ornamental plant, widely grown in tropical gardens.
Caesalpinia pulcherrima becomes the national flower of the Caribbean island of Barbados, and is depicted on the Queen’s personal Barbadian flag.
In India, with a beautiful inflorescence in yellow, red and orange, it is called "Ratnagundhi" colloquially and found in the tropical rain forests.
Medicine men in the amazone Rainforest have long known some of the medicinal uses for Caesalpinia pulcherrima, which is known as ayoowiri. The juice from the leaves is said to cure fever, the juice from the flower cures sores, and the seeds cure bad cough, breathing difficulty, and chest pain. Four grams from the root is also said to induce abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy.
