Caesalpinia pulcherrima (L.) Sw.

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Photo: Bart Wursten
Pink Papaya, Chimoio

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Synonyms:	Poinciana pulcherrima L.
Common names:	Mexican Bird of Paradise (English) Peacock Flower (English) Pride of Barbados (English)
Description:	Glabrous shrub to 6 m, sometimes scrambling, with sparse prickles on stems and leaves, but often unarmed in cultivated specimens. Leaves: pinnae 3-10 pairs. Leaflets: 5-12 pairs per pinna; lamina oblong. Pedicels 2.5-7 cm long. Petals 15-26 mm long, the upper one smaller, red, red and yellow, orange or yellow, widely spread. Longest stamens 4-7 cm long, long-exserted; filaments red. Pod 6-12 cm, obliquely oblong to oblanceolate, flat.
Notes:	This species has been treated in this database as being a purely cultivated species; however, in FZ, 3(2), p. 178, it is stated that the species "is frequently naturalised". However, it is not clear which records are of cultivated plants and which are naturalised.
Derivation of specific name:	pulcherrima: most beautiful
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution:	Native to tropical and subtropical America.
Growth form(s):
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Literature:	Brummitt, R.K., Chikuni, A.C., Lock, J.M. & Polhill, R.M. (2007). Leguminosae Subfamily Caesalpinioideae Flora Zambesiaca 3(2) Page 178. Ntore, S. & al. (2024). Checklist of the vascular plants of Burundi Page 115. Parker, T. (2023). Common Trees of Mozambique The Tree Press, Austin, Texas, USA Pages 170 - 171. (Includes a picture). Troupin, G. (1978). Caesalpiniaceae Flore du Rwanda Spermatophytes Volume I Page 384.

Other sources of information about Caesalpinia pulcherrima:

Our websites:

Flora of Burundi: Caesalpinia pulcherrima
Flora of Malawi: cultivated Caesalpinia pulcherrima
Flora of Rwanda: cultivated Caesalpinia pulcherrima
Flora of Zambia: cultivated Caesalpinia pulcherrima
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Caesalpinia pulcherrima

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Caesalpinia pulcherrima
African Plant Database: Caesalpinia pulcherrima
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Caesalpinia pulcherrima
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Caesalpinia pulcherrima
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Caesalpinia pulcherrima
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Caesalpinia pulcherrima
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Caesalpinia pulcherrima
JSTOR Plant Science: Caesalpinia pulcherrima
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Caesalpinia pulcherrima
Plants of the World Online: Caesalpinia pulcherrima
Tropicos: Caesalpinia pulcherrima
Wikipedia: Caesalpinia pulcherrima