Delonix regia (flamboyant)

Pictures

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Picture

Title

Caption

Copyright

Mature tree

A large tree in a garden of Zhangzhou, Fujian, China.

©Li Jiyuan

Flowering trees

©K.M. Siddiqui

Young tree

©K.M. Siddiqui

Nursery seedlings

©K.M. Siddiqui

Foliage

©Li Jiyuan

Flowers

©A.R. Pittaway

Identity

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Preferred Scientific Name

Delonix regia (Bojer ex Hook.) Raf.

Preferred Common Name

flamboyant

Variety

Delonix regia var. flavida Stehle
Delonix regia var. regia

Other Scientific Names

Poinciana regia Bojer ex Hook.

International Common Names

English: fire tree; flambouyant; flame of the forests; flame tree; gold mohar; peacock flower; poinciana; read tree; royal gulmohur; royal peacock; royal poinciana
Spanish: arbol del fuego; clavelino; flamboyant colorado; flor de fuego; flor de pavo; guacamaya; guacamayo; josefina; malinche; morazan (Spain); tabuchín (America)
French: flamboyant

Local Common Names

Bangladesh: krishna chura; radha chura
Brazil: uaruna
Colombia: clavellino
Cook Islands: marumaru; patai; pu pi; puka kai; rakau tamarumaru
Cuba: flamboyán; framboyán; framboyán rojo
Fiji: sekoula
French Polynesia: pakai; puke; ra‘ar marumaru
Germany: Feuerbaum; Flammenbaum
India: alasippu; doddartnagrandhi; erraturyl; gulimohur; gulmohur; gultora; kattikayi; mayarum; mayirkonri; panjadi; peddaturyl; shima sunkesula
Kiribati: te kai te tua; te tau; te tua
Mexico: tabachín
Micronesia, Federated states of: fáyárbaw; meei flower; nfayarbaw; pilampwoia weitahta; sakuranirow
Nauru: bin
Niue: pine
Pakistan: gulmohur
Palau: nangiosákura; nangyo
Samoa: elefane; tamaligi
Sri Lanka: mayirkonri; panjadi
Tonga: ‘ohai; patai
Tuvalu: fuatausaga
USA/Hawaii: 'ohai 'ula
Venezuela: acacia roja

EPPO code

DEXRE (Delonix regia)

Trade name

gold
gold mohar

Summary of Invasiveness

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D. regia, the flamboyant or flame tree, is a very popular and most beautiful ornamental tree that has been very widely introduced to tropical countries around the world. Recently, however, it has been observed to be naturalizing in many countries, and has become invasive in Australia, and on Christmas Island and a number of Pacific islands. It has a tendency to form monocultures and prevent the regeneration of native species. It is possible that this species will exhibit invasive potential in other countries.

Taxonomic Tree

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Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Spermatophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Dicotyledonae
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae
Genus: Delonix
Species: Delonix regia

Notes on Taxonomy and Nomenclature

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The genus Delonix belongs to the legume family (Fabaceae), subfamily Caesalpinioideae. It includes 12 species, 9 of which are native to Madagascar (Puy et al., 1995), the others native to East Africa, Arabia and parts of India (Menninger, 1962). Three varieties are recognized, the type var. regia, var. flavida Stehle and var. genuina Stehle (ILDIS, 2008). However, there appears to be disagreement as to the naming authority, with (Bojer ex Hook.) Raf. maintained in this datasheet (Missouri Botanical Garden, 2009), but also used are (Bojer) Raf. (USDA-ARS, 2009), and (Hook.) Raf. (ILDIS, 2008).

Description

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D. regia is a tall tree reaching a height of more than 15 m and a girth of 2 m under favourable conditions. The bole is short. The trunk is buttressed and the stem form above the buttress is generally normal in taper (Webb et al., 1984). The trees are almost evergreen, with broad-spreading, open, umbrella-shaped crowns (Randhawa, 1965). It is deciduous in localities which experience long pronounced dry seasons (Streets, 1962; Yusuf and Sheikh, 1986). The bark is grey or brown, smooth or slightly rough, and exfoliating (Gamble, 1902; Sheikh, 1993).The compound leaves of D. regia are bipinnate and feathery, up to 60 cm long, pinnae 11-18 pairs, petiole stout. The leaflets are in 20-30 pairs on each pinna, oblong, 7.5-10 mm long, 3.4-5 mm wide (Gamble, 1902; Randhawa, 1965). At the base of the leaf, two stipules occur which have long, narrow comb-like teeth (Luna, 1996). The inflorescence of D. regia is a lax terminal or axillary raceme. The flowers appear in corymbs along or at the end of branches and are large, 10 cm across and bright red. They vary considerably in intensity of colouring, ranging from orange-vermillion to deep scarlet. Most of the common names for D. regia are derived from the colour of its flowers. The pods are 5 cm broad and 30-60 cm long, ending in a beak when mature (Luna, 1996). They are green and flaccid when young and are compressed, firm and rather thick when mature. Seeds are large, yellowish, oblong, arranged at right angles to the length of pod and transversely mottled (Parker, 1956; Hutchinson, 1964; Ali, 1973). The seeds have a hard, bony testa.

Plant Type

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Broadleaved
Perennial
Seed propagated
Tree
Woody

Distribution

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D. regia is native to Madagascar but has been very widely planted in the tropics, though it is now very rare in its native range (Mabberley, 1997). In Madagascar, its latitudinal range is 12-25°S (Webb et al., 1984).

Distribution Table

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The distribution in this summary table is based on all the information available. When several references are cited, they may give conflicting information on the status. Further details may be available for individual references in the Distribution Table Details section which can be selected by going to Generate Report.

Last updated: 25 Feb 2021

Continent/Country/Region	Distribution	Origin	Invasive	Planted	Reference	Notes
Africa
Angola	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Botswana	Present	Introduced	Naturalized		Witt and Luke (2017)	Naturalized
Burundi	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Cameroon	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Chad	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Comoros	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the	Present	Introduced		Planted	ILDIS (2009)
Djibouti	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Egypt	Present	Introduced		Planted	ILDIS (2009)
Ethiopia	Present	Introduced		Planted	ILDIS (2009)
Gabon	Present	Introduced			USA, Missouri Botanical Garden (2009)
Ghana	Present	Introduced		Planted	ILDIS (2009)
Guinea	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Kenya	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Libya	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Madagascar	Present	Native			ILDIS (2009)
Malawi	Present	Introduced	Invasive		Witt and Luke (2017) CABI (2005)
Mali	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Mauritius	Present	Introduced		Planted	ILDIS (2009)
-Rodrigues	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Mayotte	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Mozambique	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Niger	Present	Introduced		Planted	ILDIS (2009)
Réunion	Present	Introduced		Planted	ILDIS (2009)
Rwanda	Present	Introduced	Naturalized		Witt and Luke (2017)	Naturalized
Seychelles	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
-Aldabra Islands	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)	Amirantes group, Coetivy Is., Aldabra
Sierra Leone	Present			Planted	CABI (2005)
Somalia	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
South Africa	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Tanzania	Present	Introduced		Planted	ILDIS (2009)
Togo	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Uganda	Present	Introduced		Planted	ILDIS (2009)
Zambia	Present	Introduced	Invasive		Witt and Luke (2017) ILDIS (2009)
Zimbabwe	Present	Introduced		Planted	ILDIS (2009)
Asia
Bangladesh	Present	Introduced		Planted	ILDIS (2009)
Bhutan	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
British Indian Ocean Territory
-Chagos Archipelago	Present	Introduced			Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) (2009)
Brunei	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Cambodia	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
China	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
-Fujian	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
-Guangdong	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
-Guangxi	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
-Yunnan	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Hong Kong	Present			Planted	CABI (2005)
India	Present			Planted	Mehrotra et al. (1988) ILDIS (2009) Reddy et al. (2012)
-Andaman and Nicobar Islands	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
-Karnataka	Present				Reddy et al. (2012)
-Punjab	Present				CABI Data Mining (Undated)
Indonesia	Present	Introduced		Planted	ILDIS (2009)
-Java	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Iran	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Japan	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
-Ryukyu Islands	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Laos	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Malaysia	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
-Peninsular Malaysia	Present	Introduced		Planted	ILDIS (2009)
Maldives	Present	Introduced			Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) (2009)
Myanmar	Present	Introduced		Planted	ILDIS (2009)
Nepal	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Oman	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Pakistan	Present	Introduced		Planted	ILDIS (2009)
Philippines	Present	Introduced		Planted	ILDIS (2009) Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) (2009)
Singapore	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Sri Lanka	Present	Introduced		Planted	ILDIS (2009)
Taiwan	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Thailand	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Vietnam	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Europe
Portugal	Present				CABI (Undated)	Present based on regional distribution.
-Madeira	Present	Introduced			DAISIE (2013)
North America
Antigua and Barbuda	Present			Planted	CABI (2005)
Bahamas	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Barbados	Present	Introduced			Acevedo-Rodríguez and Strong (2012)
Belize	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Bermuda	Present			Planted	CABI (2005)
British Virgin Islands	Present	Introduced			Acevedo-Rodríguez and Strong (2012)	Tortola and Virgin Gorda
Cayman Islands	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Costa Rica	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Cuba	Present	Introduced	Invasive		Oviedo Prieto et al. (2012) USA, Missouri Botanical Garden (2009)
Dominica	Present	Introduced		Planted	USA, Missouri Botanical Garden (2009)
Dominican Republic	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
El Salvador	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Guadeloupe	Present	Introduced			Acevedo-Rodríguez and Strong (2012)
Guatemala	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Haiti	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Honduras	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Jamaica	Present	Introduced		Planted	ILDIS (2009)
Martinique	Present	Introduced			Acevedo-Rodríguez and Strong (2012)
Mexico	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Netherlands Antilles	Present	Introduced			CABI (Undated a)	Saba, St. Martin, St. Eustatius, St. Barthelemy
Nicaragua	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Panama	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Puerto Rico	Present	Introduced			USA, Missouri Botanical Garden (2009)
Saint Lucia	Present	Introduced	Naturalized		Graveson (2012)	Naturalized
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Present	Introduced			Acevedo-Rodríguez and Strong (2012)
Trinidad and Tobago	Present	Introduced			USA, Missouri Botanical Garden (2009)
U.S. Virgin Islands	Present	Introduced			USA, Missouri Botanical Garden (2009)
United States	Present, Localized	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
-Florida	Present	Introduced		Planted	USA, Missouri Botanical Garden (2009)
-Hawaii	Present	Introduced	Invasive		ILDIS (2009) Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) (2009)
-Texas	Present	Introduced			USA, Missouri Botanical Garden (2009)
Oceania
American Samoa	Present	Introduced			Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) (2009)
Australia	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009) Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) (2009)
-New South Wales	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009) Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) (2009)
-Northern Territory	Present	Introduced	Invasive		Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) (2009)
-Queensland	Present	Introduced		Planted	ILDIS (2009) Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) (2009)
Christmas Island	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009) Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) (2009)
Cook Islands	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009) Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) (2009)
Federated States of Micronesia	Present	Introduced			Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) (2009)
Fiji	Present	Introduced	Invasive		ILDIS (2009) Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) (2009)
French Polynesia	Present	Introduced	Invasive		ILDIS (2009) Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) (2009)
Guam	Present	Introduced			Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) (2009)
Kiribati	Present	Introduced			Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) (2009)
Marshall Islands	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009) Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) (2009)
Nauru	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009) Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) (2009)
New Caledonia	Present	Introduced	Invasive		Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) (2009)
Niue	Present	Introduced	Invasive		ILDIS (2009) Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) (2009)
Northern Mariana Islands	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009) Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) (2009)
Palau	Present	Introduced			Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) (2009)
Papua New Guinea	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009) Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) (2009) PIER (2012)
Samoa	Present	Introduced			Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) (2009)
Solomon Islands	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009) Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) (2009)
Tonga	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009) Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) (2009)
South America
Argentina	Present	Introduced		Planted	ILDIS (2009)
Bolivia	Present	Introduced			USA, Missouri Botanical Garden (2009)
Brazil	Present	Introduced		Planted	ILDIS (2009)
Colombia	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Ecuador	Present	Introduced			USA, Missouri Botanical Garden (2009)	Also Galapagos
-Galapagos Islands	Present	Introduced	Invasive		Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) (2009)
French Guiana	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Guyana	Present	Introduced			USA, Missouri Botanical Garden (2009)
Paraguay	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Peru	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)
Suriname	Present	Introduced			USA, Missouri Botanical Garden (2009)
Venezuela	Present	Introduced			ILDIS (2009)

History of Introduction and Spread

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D. regia is widely planted in warm, moist sites in the tropics as an ornamental or avenue tree along roads, in homesteads, in parks and in gardens. It has been planted in the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent for more than 100 years and has also been introduced to many other countries in the Old and New World. The introductions to these countries have been largely successful, and it has become naturalized in those localities which do not experience frost during winter (Menninger, 1962; Streets, 1962; Webb et al., 1984).

Risk of Introduction

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It is likely that D. regia already exists in every tropical country of the world, and thus, being cosmopolitan, it cannot be introduced any further. Also, it registered the lowest score possible, of 1, in a weed risk assessment for the Pacific, indicating a very low risk.

Habitat

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It is naturally found in wet tropical forests in Madagascar from sea level up to 2000 m. Where introduced and invasive, it is found in arid lowlands and moist uplands in the Galápagos Islands, low elevation and dry to mesic disturbed sites in Hawaii, infrequently naturalized from near sea level to about 500 m in Fiji, almost monospecific stands around parent trees within disturbed marginal rainforest and along roadsides, although slow to spread on Christmas Island, and has invaded coastal monsoon vine thickets that have been damaged by cyclones in the Northern Territory, Australia (PIER, 2009).

Habitat List

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Category	Sub-Category	Habitat	Presence	Status
Terrestrial
Terrestrial	Managed	Disturbed areas	Present, no further details	Harmful (pest or invasive)
Terrestrial	Managed	Disturbed areas	Present, no further details	Natural
Terrestrial	Managed	Rail / roadsides	Present, no further details	Harmful (pest or invasive)
Terrestrial	Natural / Semi-natural	Natural forests	Present, no further details	Harmful (pest or invasive)
Terrestrial	Natural / Semi-natural	Natural forests	Present, no further details	Natural
Terrestrial	Natural / Semi-natural	Scrub / shrublands	Present, no further details	Harmful (pest or invasive)
Terrestrial	Natural / Semi-natural	Arid regions	Present, no further details	Harmful (pest or invasive)

Biology and Ecology

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Genetics

D. regia trees raised from seed exhibit variable flower colour and trees raised from seed do not breed true to type as far as flower colour is concerned. A golden-yellow flowered form has been described as var. flavida (Kunkel, 1978). Chromosome number in D. regia is 2n=28 (Jarolímová, 1994).

Reproductive Biology

D. regia regenerates by seed, and the seed is able to germinate at a wide range of soil pH values (4.9-10.6), but take a long time to germinate and may lie dormant in the soil for 2-3 years or more.

Physiology and Phenology

D. regia is a light-demanding species and under shady conditions it grows slowly. It is almost evergreen and is only briefly deciduous during the dry season. It has an extensive superficial root system, which renders it vulnerable to windthrow during storms (Menninger, 1962). It grows quickly, reaching a height of up to 8 m in three years. It tolerates severe pruning (Streets, 1962) and salt winds (Menninger, 1962).

D. regia remains leafless in India from March to May; the new leaves appear at the end of the hot season in May or June (Luna, 1996). In moist localities, the trees begin to develop young foliage before the flowering season and then do not flower prolifically. The flowers generally appear in April and May when the tree is completely leafless and cover the crown completely. The trees start flowering at 4-5 years old. The flowers are usually less prolific on the shady sides of the trees. The fruit ripens in the rainy season and remains on the tree for a long time, often until the end of the next season. In regions with heavy rainfall, the change of season may not be enough to induce flowering. As a result, each tree appears to follow its own rhythm of shedding leaves and flowering, periodically throughout the year (Troup, 1921; Luna, 1996).

Environmental Requirements

D. regia is a tropical species. The mean annual rainfall in its range of occurrence (from Asia to Africa and Latin America) is 700-1800 mm, most of which is received in the summer. The dry season may extend over a period of up to 6 months. The mean maximum temperature of the hottest month varies from 22 to 35°C, mean minimum temperature of the coldest month from 6 to 18°C and mean annual temperature from 14 to 26°C (Webb et al., 1984).

Young plants of D. regia are fire-tender. It does not withstand frost or winter cold at any stage of seedling, sapling or tree growth.

D. regia has been planted up to an altitude of about 2000 m on alluvium, shale and limestone soils and on a wide range of other soil types. However, optimum growth is obtained on light, well-drained soils. It tolerates slight salinity (Troup, 1921; Webb et al., 1984).

Climate

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Climate	Status	Description
Af - Tropical rainforest climate	Preferred	> 60mm precipitation per month
Am - Tropical monsoon climate	Preferred	Tropical monsoon climate ( < 60mm precipitation driest month but > (100 - [total annual precipitation(mm}/25]))
As - Tropical savanna climate with dry summer	Preferred	< 60mm precipitation driest month (in summer) and < (100 - [total annual precipitation{mm}/25])
Aw - Tropical wet and dry savanna climate	Preferred	< 60mm precipitation driest month (in winter) and < (100 - [total annual precipitation{mm}/25])
BW - Desert climate	Tolerated	< 430mm annual precipitation

Latitude/Altitude Ranges

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Latitude North (°N)	Latitude South (°S)	Altitude Lower (m)	Altitude Upper (m)
-12	-25	0	2000

Air Temperature

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Parameter	Lower limit	Upper limit
Absolute minimum temperature (ºC)	>6
Mean annual temperature (ºC)	18	26
Mean maximum temperature of hottest month (ºC)	22	35
Mean minimum temperature of coldest month (ºC)	12	18

Rainfall

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Parameter	Lower limit	Upper limit	Description
Dry season duration	1	6	number of consecutive months with <40 mm rainfall
Mean annual rainfall	700	1800	mm; lower/upper limits

Rainfall Regime

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Summer
Uniform

Soil Tolerances

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Soil drainage

free

Soil reaction

acid
alkaline
neutral

Soil texture

light
medium

Special soil tolerances

saline

Notes on Natural Enemies

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D. regia plants are susceptible to attack from termites and shoot borers (Webb et al., 1984; Salman et al., 1987). Pteroma plagiophleps is a serious pest of avenue plantings of this species. A severe outbreak of the bostrichid Sinoxylon anale was observed on D. regia in Israel in 1984 (Argaman, 1987). Similarly, larvae of the noctuid Pericyma cruegeri have been observed causing severe defoliation of trees in Nagaland, India (Reddy et al., 1985). Acanthopsyche reimeri is a bagworm of tropical Africa, with polyphagous larvae feeding on the leaves of various dicotyledonous trees, principally open-grown trees and ornamentals. It has caused severe defoliation of D. regia in Kenya (Gardner, 1957). Anoplocnemis curvipes is a bowlegged bug and is widely distributed in tropical Africa, with both the adults and nymphs being polyphagous, feeding on the sap of many agricultural and garden plants (Sweeney, 1961). In Malawi it has been recorded on D. regia, and is a pest of some importance as heavily infested shoots become disfigured and increment is considerably reduced; it has even been known to kill 1-year-old plants. Leptostylus praemorsus has been recorded in Antigua, Bermuda, Dominica and St. Lucia. A longhorn beetle, known principally as a pest of citrus, it also infests other trees, both dicotyledons and conifers, including D. regia (Parker, 1945; Duffy, 1960). Orthezia insignis is also very widely distributed in the tropics, subtropics and warmer parts of temperate zones. In Malawi, it is frequently injurious to D. regia and other trees, principally ornamentals, and often kills seedlings or even fully-grown trees if heavily infested. Oxyrhachis latipes is a tree-hopper, which feeds on the sap of D. regia in Malawi, though records of infestation are few and it is apparently unimportant. Injury from Schedorhinotermes lamanianus has been recorded on D. regia by Gardner (1957). The beetle and larvae of Poecilips sierraleonensis can bore into the pods of D. regia and damage the seed (Luna, 1996). During January 2001, a large scale outbreak of the giant looper, Boarmia selenaria [Ascotis selenaria], was observed on several trees of D. regia and Prosopis juliflora in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India, causing severe defoliation (Rabindra et al., 2003).

Ganoderma tropicum was isolated from a D. regia tree in India, being parasitic to the tree and quite aggressive, killing the tree within 1-5 years (Aryantha et al., 2001), and an unidentified Ganoderma sp. has been observed attacking seedlings of D. regia in Australia (Hood et al., 1996). Root rot is caused by Fusarium oxysporum in the northern Guinea region of Nigeria (Gbadegesin, 1993), with root and butt-rot disease characterized by affected parts slowly enlarging and development of a thick, dark brown mycelial sheath around the bases of infected trees. Wilting and discoloration of the leaves and development of brown mycelial mats on roots and basal stems, followed by death of D. regia plants, has been reported by Chang (1992). A fungus, Pleiochaeta setosa, has been noticed on D. regia in India. This attacks the cotyledons of germinating seedlings and the leaves of young seedlings, causing shrivelling, leaf death and leaf shedding, but not mortality. The well known root rot fungus Armillaria mellea has a worldwide distribution and extensive host range, including D. regia (Spaulding, 1961). Thick, white mycelia form a felty sheet between bark layers and also between the dead bark and underlying wood. Sphaerostilbe repens, known as stinking root disease, affects D. regia. Infection is by waterborne spores through root contact, it produces dark brown or reddish rhizomorphs beneath the root bark, the inner surface of the root is bleached and a strong odour is produced due to the combined activity of fungus and bacteria (Browne, 1968).

Means of Movement and Dispersal

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Natural Dispersal (Non-Biotic)

Pods can be spread by floodwaters (PIER, 2009).

Vector Transmission (Biotic)

Mice and small rodents in a forest in Mexico were important agents for removing the fruits and seeds of plants including D. regia. Mice appear to selectively remove and hoard fruits and seeds according to their energy and nutritional content and the presence of secondary metabolites, and from high-density food patches and preferred habitats (Briones-Salas et al., 2006).

Intentional Introduction

The exceptionally showy red and golden-yellow flowers make this an immediately popular ornamental tree species, one of many from Madagascar, and as such it was very widely introduced.

Pathway Causes

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Cause	Long Distance	Local	References
Digestion and excretion		Yes	Briones-Salas et al. (2006)
Disturbance		Yes	PIER (2009)
Escape from confinement or garden escape		Yes	PIER (2009)
Flooding and other natural disasters		Yes	PIER (2009)
Landscape improvement	Yes	Yes	PIER (2009)
Ornamental purposes	Yes	Yes	PIER (2009)

Pathway Vectors

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Vector	Notes	Long Distance	Local	References
Water			Yes	PIER (2009)

Impact Summary

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Category	Impact
Cultural/amenity	Positive
Environment (generally)	Positive and negative

Economic Impact

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D. regia is a beautiful tree when in flower and is generally grown as an ornamental in parks and gardens, as an avenue or roadsides tree, and also in residential and school compounds for shade and shelter (Webb et al., 1984). It can also be planted as a multipurpose tree on eroded sites for erosion control, and for soil rehabilitation and improvement through atmospheric nitrogen fixation. In alley cropping studies in the uplands of Sierra Leone, D. regia trees were very effective in conserving soil moisture and reducing soil temperature (Karim, 1987). D. regia is also planted in tea plantations to provide shade.

D. regia wood is whitish-grey, straight- and loose-grained, light to medium density (440 kg/cubic metre), weak, soft and durable, but it polishes well and is used for making small implements, such as cutlery and toys (Gamble, 1902; Streets, 1962; Watt, 1972; Sheikh, 1993). Branches and stemwood can be used as fuelwood.

D. regia bark produces large amounts of a granular, yellowish- or reddish-brown gum, soluble in water forming a thick opalescent mucilage and containing a large quantity of calcium oxalate (Watt, 1972; Luna, 1996). The seeds can be made into necklaces; and they contain a gum which can be used in the textile and food industries. Immature pods are edible and have good potential as a dietary protein source for humans and livestock (Webb et al., 1984; Grant et al., 1995). The leaves (with 39.5% protein) provide nutritious fodder and browse for livestock. In the Virgin Islands, the annual dry matter yield of forage from D. regia has been estimated as 13.45 t/ha and protein as 1.45 t/ha (Oakes and Skov, 1962). The aqueous extracts of D. regia 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 (Chou et al., 1995). An extract of D. regia leaves has been found to disrupt insect growth and development (Saxena and Yadav, 1986).

Environmental Impact

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D. regia is also an aggressive colonizer, occupying blank areas to the exclusion of other species, and it can form dense canopies that can exclude native species. Seedlings germinate thickly under parent trees and rapidly form monospecific stands which compete strongly with other plants, possibly assisted by allelopathic exudations (PIER, 2009). Due to its spreading root system, other plants are killed through competition, thus rendering the surrounding ground bare. There are also impacts on soil fertility, with a 13% increase in soil N was observed with the application of D. regia prunings to a calcareous soil after five years, also higher organic C and higher mineralization and turnover rates as compared to the control (Isaac et al., 2003).

Risk and Impact Factors

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Invasiveness

Proved invasive outside its native range
Highly adaptable to different environments
Tolerates, or benefits from, cultivation, browsing pressure, mutilation, fire etc
Long lived
Fast growing
Has high reproductive potential
Has propagules that can remain viable for more than one year

Impact outcomes

Ecosystem change/ habitat alteration
Modification of nutrient regime
Modification of successional patterns
Monoculture formation

Impact mechanisms

Allelopathic
Competition - monopolizing resources
Competition - shading
Interaction with other invasive species
Rapid growth

Likelihood of entry/control

Highly likely to be transported internationally deliberately

Uses

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Economic Value

Leaves and flowers of D. regia showed strong phytotoxicity against Mikania micrantha, with mulching 1-2 g of leaf or flower powder on soil surface caused 75-90% mortality of M. micrantha seedlings within 3 weeks. Spreading a 4% aqueous extract of leaves of D. regia on leaves of M. micrantha seedlings also resulted in high mortality, revealing a potential control measure of using allelochemicals in leaves and flowers of D. regia as an herbicide to control this invasive climber (Kuo et al., 2002). Allelopathic potential of leguminous plant species towards Parthenium hysterophorus was tested by using aqueous foliar leachates, and was strongest with leachates from D. regia (Dhawan et al., 2000, 2001).

D. regia wood ash induced up to 78%, 81% and 89% reduction in the mycelial growth of Helminthosporium sativum, Curvularia lunata and Fusarium graminearum, respectively (Enikuomehin and Kehinde, 2007). Effects were also found against insects (such as coleopteran storage pests), nematodes, etc.

Social Benefit

As one of the most beautiful ornamental trees in the tropics it has a very high aesthetic value.

Uses List

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Animal feed, fodder, forage

Fodder/animal feed
Forage

Environmental

Agroforestry
Amenity
Erosion control or dune stabilization
Land reclamation
Landscape improvement
Ornamental
Revegetation
Soil improvement

Fuels

Fuelwood

General

Ornamental

Human food and beverage

Fruits
Gum/mucilage

Materials

Beads
Carved material
Gum/resin
Miscellaneous materials
Pesticide
Wood/timber

Medicinal, pharmaceutical

Traditional/folklore

Wood Products

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Woodware

Cutlery
Industrial and domestic woodware
Musical instruments
Tool handles
Toys

Similarities to Other Species/Conditions

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The large and characteristic pods, 30-60 cm (1-2 ft) long, that are retained on the tree for long periods, make this species unmistakable for most of the year.

Prevention and Control

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Due to the variable regulations around (de)registration of pesticides, your national list of registered pesticides or relevant authority should be consulted to determine which products are legally allowed for use in your country when considering chemical control. Pesticides should always be used in a lawful manner, consistent with the product's label.

Larger trees can be cut and the stumps treated with glyphosate to prevent resprouting. Systemic herbicides such as glyphosate can be used, either as a foliar or basal spray on smaller plants in full leaf, or on saplings and trees either as cut stump treatments, stem injections or basal bark treatments (PIER, 2009).

References

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Acevedo-Rodríguez P, Strong MT, 2012. Catalogue of the Seed Plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contributions to Botany, 98:1192 pp. Washington DC, USA: Smithsonian Institution. http://botany.si.edu/Antilles/WestIndies/catalog.htm

Ali SI, 1973. Flora of Pakistan. Caesalpiniaceae. Karachi, Pakistan: University of Karachi

Argaman Q, 1987. Sinoxylon anale - a new destructive wood borer in Israel. Phytoparasitica, 15(3):257

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Bhattacharjee SK, Balakrishna M, 1983. Effects of growth substances and girdling on the regeneration of adventitious roots and the survival of rooted cuttings in Poinciana regia Boj. Rivista della Ortoflorofrutticoltura Italiana, 67(2):95-101; 20 ref

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Chang TT, 1992. Decline of some forest trees associated with brown root rot caused by Phellinus noxius. Plant Pathology Bulletin, 1(2):90-95

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Dhawan SR, Poonam Dhawan, Gupta SK, 1998, publ. 2000. Allelopathic potential of leguminous plant species towards Parthenium hysterophorus L. Flora and Fauna (Jhansi), 4(1):9-12

Dhawan SR, Poonam Dhawan, Gupta SK, 2001. Allelopathic potential of leguminous plant species towards Parthenium hysterophorus L. (1) - effect of aqueous foliar leachates. Legume Research, 24(4):256-259

Duffy EAJ, 1960. A monograph of the immature stages of neotropical timber beetles (Cerambycidae). pp. 327 + 14 plates. 10 pp. of refs. British Museum (Natural History), London

Enikuomehin OA, Kehinde IA, 2007. In vitro screening of some tropical ash samples against seedborne pathogens of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Australasian Plant Pathology, 36(6):587-590. http://www.publish.csiro.au/nid/39/paper/AP07066.htm

Gamble JS, 1902. A manual of Indian timbers. London, UK: Sampson Low, Marston and Company Ltd

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Gbadegesin RA, 1993. Root rot of Delonix regia caused by Fusarium oxysporum in the northern Guinea zone of Nigeria. Discovery and Innovation, 5(3):255-259; 18 ref

Grant G, More LJ, McKenzie NH, Dorward PM, Buchan WC, Telek L, Pusztai A, 1995. Nutritional and haemagglutination properties of several tropical seeds. Journal of Agricultural Science, 124(3):437-445; 32 ref

Graveson RS, 2012. Survey of invasive alien plant species on Gros Piton, Saint Lucia. Project No. GFL / 2328- 2713-4A86, GF-1030-09-03. Project No. GFL / 2328- 2713-4A86, GF-1030-09-03, GFL / 2328- 2713-4A86, GF-1030-09-03. Catsries, Saint Lucia: Department of Forestry

Hood IA, Ramsden M, Allen P, 1996. Taxonomic delimitation and pathogenicity to seedlings of Delonix regia and Albizia lebbeck of a species related to Ganoderma lucidum on broadleaf trees in Queensland. Australasian Plant Pathology, 25(2):86-98; 27 ref

Hutchinson J, 1964. The genera of the flowering plants. Oxford, UK: The Clarendon Press

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ILDIS, 2009. International Legume Database and Information Service. Reading, UK: School of Plant Sciences, University of Reading. http://www.ildis.org/

Isaac L, Wood CW, Shannon DA, 2003. Hedgerow species and environmental conditions effects on soil total C and N and C and N mineralization patterns of soils amended with their prunings. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems, 65(1):73-87

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Kuo YauLun, Chen TzeYang, Lin ChiehChang, 2002. Using a consecutive-cutting method and allelopathy to control the invasive vine, Mikania micrantha H.B.K. Taiwan Journal of Forest Science, 17(2):171-181

Luna RK, 1996. Plantation trees. Delhi, India: International Book Distributors

Mabberley DJ, 1997. The plant-book: a portable dictionary of the vascular plants. Ed. 2: xvi + 858 pp. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press

Mehrotra MD, Sarma GS, Dhungana HN, 1988. Pleiochpta setosa a new pathogen of Delonix regia. Indian Forester, 114(8):482-483

Menninger EA, 1962. Flowering trees of the world for tropics and warm climates. New York, USA: Hearthside Press Inc

Millat-e-Mustafa M, 1989. Effect of hot water treatment on the germination of seeds of Albizia lebbeck and Delonix regia. Bano Biggyan Patrika, 18(1-2):63-64; 4 ref

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Oakes AJ, Skov O, 1962. Some woody legumes as forage crops for the dry tropics. Tropical Agriculture, Trindidad, 39 (4):281-287. 5 refs

Oviedo Prieto R, Herrera Oliver P, Caluff MG, et al. , 2012. National list of invasive and potentially invasive plants in the Republic of Cuba - 2011. (Lista nacional de especies de plantas invasoras y potencialmente invasoras en la República de Cuba - 2011). Bissea: Boletín sobre Conservación de Plantas del Jardín Botánico Nacional de Cuba, 6(Special Issue 1):22-96

Pandey J, Agrawal M, 1994. Evaluation of air pollution phytotoxicity in a seasonally dry tropical urban environment using three woody perennials. New Phytologist, 126(1):53-61; 56 ref

Parker RL, 1945. Report on the survey of the insects and pests attacking the Bermuda cedar. Bermuda Board of Agriculture, Hamilton. pp. 5. [Kansas State College.]

Parker RN, 1956. A forest flora for the Punjab with Hazara and Delhi. Lahore, Pakistan: Government Printing Press

PIER, 2009. Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk., USA: Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. http://www.hear.org/pier/index.html

PIER, 2012. Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk. Honolulu, USA: HEAR, University of Hawaii. http://www.hear.org/pier/index.html

Puy DJdu, Phillipson PB, Rabevohitra R, 1995. The genus Delonix (Leguminosae: Caesalpinioideae: Caesalpinieae) in Madagascar. Kew Bulletin, 50(3):445-475; 12 ref

Rabindra RJ, Swamiappan M, Parthasarathy R, Subramanian S, Kennedy JS, Sathiah N, Rajasekaran B, 2003. Isolation and DNA characterisation of a nuclear polyhedrosis virus from the looper Boarmia (=Ascotis) selenaria (Lepidoptera: Geometridae). Pest Management in Horticultural Ecosystems, 9(1):49-53

Randhawa MS, 1965. Flowering trees in India. New Delhi, India: Indian Council of Agricultural Research

Reddy MV, Tiwary SP, Alemlaao M, 1985. Occurrance of Pericyma cruegeri Buttler as a defoliator of Delonix regia Raf. Entomon, 10(3):247

Salman AGA, Morsy MAA, Sayed AA, 1987. Tolerance of some Egyptian timbers to the attack of the sand termite Psammotermes hybostoma Des. Assiut Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 18(4):23-29

Saxena SC, Yadav RS, 1986. A preliminary laboratory evaluation of an extract of leaves of Delonix regia Raf. as a disruptor of insect growth and development. Tropical Pest Management, 32(1):58-59

Schutt P, Schuck HJ, Aas G, Lang UM, eds, 1994. Encyclopaedia of woody plants: manual and atlas of dendrology. [Enzyklopädie der Holzgewächse: Handbuch und Atlas der Dendrologie]. Landsberg am Lech, Germany: Ecomed Verlagsgesellschaft

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Witt, A., Luke, Q., 2017. Guide to the naturalized and invasive plants of Eastern Africa, [ed. by Witt, A., Luke, Q.]. Wallingford, UK: CABI.vi + 601 pp. http://www.cabi.org/cabebooks/ebook/20173158959 doi:10.1079/9781786392145.0000

Yusuf S, Sheikh MI, 1986. Manual for landscape horticulture. Peshawar, Pakistan: Pakistan Forest Institute

Distribution References

Acevedo-Rodríguez P, Strong M T, 2012. Catalogue of the Seed Plants of the West Indies. Washington, DC, USA: Smithsonian Institution. 1192 pp. http://botany.si.edu/Antilles/WestIndies/catalog.htm

CABI Data Mining, Undated. CAB Abstracts Data Mining.,

CABI, 2005. Forestry Compendium. In: Forestry Compendium, Wallingford, UK: CABI.

CABI, Undated. CABI Compendium: Status inferred from regional distribution. Wallingford, UK: CABI

CABI, Undated a. CABI Compendium: Status as determined by CABI editor. Wallingford, UK: CABI

DAISIE, 2013. Delivering Alien Invasive Species Inventories for Europe. http://www.europe-aliens.org/

Graveson RS, 2012. Survey of invasive alien plant species on Gros Piton, Saint Lucia. Project No. GFL / 2328- 2713-4A86, GF-1030-09-03. Project No. GFL / 2328- 2713-4A86, GF-1030-09-03, GFL / 2328- 2713-4A86, GF-1030-09-03., Castries, St. Lucia: Department of Forestry.

ILDIS, 2009. International Legume Database and Information Service. In: International Legume Database and Information Service, Reading, UK: School of Plant Sciences, University of Reading. http://www.ildis.org/

Mehrotra M D, Sarma G S, Dhungana H N, 1988. Pleiochaeta setosa - a new pathogen of Delonix regia. Indian Forester. 114 (8), 482-483.

Oviedo Prieto R, Herrera Oliver P, Caluff M G, et al, 2012. National list of invasive and potentially invasive plants in the Republic of Cuba - 2011. (Lista nacional de especies de plantas invasoras y potencialmente invasoras en la República de Cuba - 2011). Bissea: Boletín sobre Conservación de Plantas del Jardín Botánico Nacional de Cuba. 6 (Special Issue No. 1), 22-96.

Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk (PIER), 2009. Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk. In: Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk, USA: HEAR, Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry. http://www.hear.org/pier/index.html

PIER, 2012. Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk., Honolulu, USA: HEAR, University of Hawaii. http://www.hear.org/pier/index.html

Reddy N A, Yeshwanth H M, Kenchareddi R N, 2012. An outbreak of pentatomid bug, Udonga montana (distant) in Coorg district of Karnataka. Insect Environment. 18 (3/4), 79-80. http://www.currentbiotica.com/curl.aspx?url=Insect/Volume18/Insect-environment-vol-18(3)-(4).pdf

USA, Missouri Botanical Garden, 2009. Tropicos database. In: Tropicos database, St Louis, USA: Missouri Botanical Garden. http://www.tropicos.org

Witt A, Luke Q, 2017. Guide to the naturalized and invasive plants of Eastern Africa. [ed. by Witt A, Luke Q]. Wallingford, UK: CABI. vi + 601 pp. http://www.cabi.org/cabebooks/ebook/20173158959 DOI:10.1079/9781786392145.0000

Links to Websites

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Website	URL	Comment
GISD/IASPMR: Invasive Alien Species Pathway Management Resource and DAISIE European Invasive Alien Species Gateway	https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.m93f6	Data source for updated system data added to species habitat list.

Contributors

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10/07/13 Updated by:

Julissa Rojas-Sandoval, Department of Botany-Smithsonian NMNH, Washington DC, USA

Pedro Acevedo-Rodríguez, Department of Botany-Smithsonian NMNH, Washington DC, USA

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Datasheet

Delonix regia (flamboyant)

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