The Garden Bug: The Paradise Flower

By Brenda Weaver

Caesalpinia pulcherrima (also known as “Barbados Pride,” “Paradise Flower,” “Peacock Tree,” or “Poinciana”) is a very colourful tree native to the West Indies and Mexico. It is fast-growing, can get up to twenty feet tall, and needs hot weather to bloom, which it does from midsummer into fall, looking splendid even on the hottest days. Many cultures have developed multiple uses for all the parts of this plant, including making it into dyes and insecticide, to stun fish, or using the wood for carpentry and boat-building.

Source: davesgarden.com