Flame Tree, Flame of the Forest

Scientific Name : Delonix regia (Bojer ex Hook.) Raf.
Common Name : Flame Tree, Flame of the Forest
Chinese Name : 鳳凰木, 鳳凰花, 紅花楹, 火樹
Family : CAESALPINIACEAE
Local distribution status : Exotic species

Anecdotes on plants

Origins	Madagascar.
Meanings of names	There are two versions of the origin of its Chinese name “Phoenix Wood (鳳凰木)”. One tale is that the species was firstly introduced to China by propagating the plant in the “Phoenix Mountain” of Macau. Another one is related to the sentence “Its leaves mimic the feathers of a flying phoenix; Its flowers bloom like the crown of a scarlet phoenix”. Morphologically, the tree crown looks like a phoenix spreading her wings, since its broad crown bears branchlets and dense leaves. Meanwhile, it also looks like a phoenix raising his head when the tree is in full blossom, which shows the extraordinarily glorious contrast between the scarlet flowers and emerald leaves. During its flowering period the tree is crowded by red flowers, giving the impression of it being surrounded by fire. Hence, in both Chinese and English, the species was given the name “Flame Tree (火樹)”.
Applications	Flame tree is a common street tree and mostly planted in urban parks. Its resin is water-soluble while its wood is soft and stretchable with special patterns. Hence, the species is used as the raw material for many crafts.
Toxicity	The seeds and flowers have mild toxins, and thus should not be ingested.
City Tree	Flame tree is the City Tree of Xiamen City and Tainan City (“Phoenix City” formerly called).

Traits for identification

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Remarks

Scientific name above is based on Hong Kong Herbarium website : https://www.herbarium.gov.hk/en/hk-plant-database/plant-detail/index.html?pType=species&oID=8057

Scientific names from other databases
― Flora of China : Delonix regia (Bojer) Rafinesque
― Plants of the World Online : Delonix regia (Bojer ex Hook.) Raf.

Reference

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• Hong Kong Herbarium, Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department & South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences. (2007-2011). Delonix regia (Bojer ex Hook.) Raf 鳳凰木. Flora of Hong Kong. [Online Edition]. Retrieved 25^th March 2020, from: https://www.herbarium.gov.hk/FloraOfHK/Species/8057/8057_S_E.pdf
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