GULMOHUR

Delonix regia, Fame tree, Flamboyant. Royal Poinciana, Gold mohr, Fire Tree / Flame of the forest.

Delonix regia var. flavida is a rarer, yellow-flowered variety

Pollen Grains of Delonix regia

Leaves twice feathery up to 60 cm long forming an airy canopy. A single leaf folks into 10-20 parts of side stalk. Each side stalk bears up to 30 parts of small, oblong, blunt tipped leafless.

Bonnet Macaque eating Delonix Flower

Stipule at the leaf base

The Gulmohar is a street tree commonly planted in India due to its naturalized status and, of course, its breathtaking blossoms. A sizable tree with fern-like leaves, Gulmohar is a showy tree in bloom found in its native Madagascar by botanist Wensel Bojer in the early 19th century. The British brought it to India along with Bangalore and KGF. They grew it where they lived in colonies.

It is planted in gardens and as a roadside tree. Every Gulmohar plant has a floral bedspread in the morning, a sight to behold. Although they are more delicate. Gulmohar tree leaves resemble ferns. A familiar ornamental tree with a spreading sometime flat topped crown of thin feathery foliage. Rated by some as one of the most beautiful of all flowering trees. It prefers a warm climate, with a pronounced dry season., especially near the sea. It flowers more profoundly when watered regularly in the growing season but requires or no water while it is dominant and leafless. It do not withstand frost. It has a shallow root system and not wind firm. The ground beneath Gulmohur often becomes bare because its surface roots monopolize all nutrients and water. Uses : Primarily as a decorative tree. A water soluble gum issue from wounds in the trunk

Middle sized tree deciduous.

Since the Gulmohar tree does not nodulate, it is referred to as a non-nodulating legume.

Introduction

The Gulmohar tree’s blossoms, which come in various colours and are incredibly eye-catching and elegant, are its main draw. Five petals make up the flower, four of which are at the base and one of which is larger than the other four. The large one is standard, and the larger one is Scarlet. The scarlet is particularly notable its gorgeous orange-red coloring. The largest one, called Standard, is white and yellow variegated. The Standard petal turns crimson as it ages as well.
The honey bee is drawn to the flowers because of their colour. During the blooming season, bees are abundant. Spring and Summer are the seasons when the tree typically blooms. The Gulmohar blossoms fall during this time and create a carpet of blooms on the ground. Individuals may be compelled to pause and take in the brief scene created by the fallen Gulmohar flowers.
This tree’s flowers are solitary, meaning they grow singly rather than in clusters. The Gulmohar tree’s flowers are monoecious. It is a bisexual tree, which indicates that cross-pollination takes place. The influence of wind is responsible for the majority of pollination.

Names

There are many lovely names for this beautiful tree. Around the world. The scientific name of the Gulmohar tree is

Delonix Regia Scientific Name

Gulmohur National tree of India;

The Flamboyant Tree is a common name for it—striking means showy or bold in appearance in its literal sense.

Royal poinciana, The name Gulmohar translates to “Royal Poinciana” in English/

Flamboyant, Peacock flower tree,

Pupil’s tree,

Flame of the forest, and Flame tree are some of the most popular alternate names for this tree.

Also due to its stunning orange-red blossoms, which partially resemble fire colour/fire in a forest,

Krishna Chura,

The Mayflower Tree

The Peacock Tree

Gul Mohr

Sein-pann-ni it is called in Myanmar.

Phoenix flower in Vietnam

Semarak in Malaysia, it is called "Semarak", used to be the name of a street in the country's capital city, Kuala Lumpur

kaalvarippoo in Kerala which means "the flower of Calvary ". It is also known as Vaaga in many areas of Kerala

Phượng vỹ, or "phoenix's tail" in Vietnam.

Phượng vỹ, or "phoenix. in Vietnam, Hai Phong is nicknamed Thành phố hoa phượng đỏ ("City of red poinciana").

Seasons

Spring season, Summer Season.

Leaves

It is noted for its fern-like leaves. Leave twice feathered with 10-20 pairs of side stalks each one with up to 30 pairs of small, blunt leaflets. Start to yellow in November. Trees are bare through February, most of March. New leaves in late March, early April. The Gulmohar trees leaves are compound, also called double pinnate leaves (Feathery). With their brilliant light green colour, they resemble fern fronds. Both primary and secondary leaflets are present in the leaves. These leaflets hold up the cluster of flowers. No matter which season starts, the leaves are always green. Gulmohar is consequently next to an evergreen tree.

Due to the tree’s deciduous nature, the leaves fall in November, when autumn officially begins. The plant isn’t entirely bare, though, as some leaves are still present. However, the entire plant is covered in flowers and has fewer leaves during flowering.

Flowers

Gulmohar Flower / Peacock Flower

Stamens with red filaments. The largest petal is white streaked with red and yellow.

Begin in late April, peaking in early May. flamboyant display of orange-red flowers over summer. In many tropical parts of the world it is grown as an ornamental tree. Flowering is over by June, but weaker flushes ripple through the rains. Flowers large and showy, up to 12 cm across in loose, terminal clusters. Flower has 5 spoon shaped petals, 4 of them vivid scarlet (of varying intensity) the 5th and largest white splashed with scarlet and yellow. The edges of petals are delicately crinkled. The flower cup too has 5 segments. lime green on the outside, looking lined with scarlet inside.

Fruit

Fruit Pod. A flat pod up to 60 cm long, with a short beak. It start out soft and green turning dark and woody as it matures

Pods persist for many months often till March or April, The pod is the name of the fruit of the Gulmohar tree. Its interior is filled with brutal, dark-brown seeds frequently used to spread this plant. Early on, the pod is green and floppy, but as they age, they become firm, dark brown, and woody.

Pods mature and split into two halves, causing the seeds to disperse.

Seeds

Gulmohar grows either naturally or artificially from seeds. It is the technique that is used the most. A fruit or pod is formed after pollination. The pod is green when it is young, but as it ages, it turns brown and splits into two pieces, releasing hard brown seeds.
This tree’s seeds have physical dormancy. They have a tough exterior. The germination of the tree is practically impossible without breaking this outer coat. Therefore, before seeding, we use the scarification process to disrupt dormancy by softening the outer layer. You can do this by soaking the Gulmohar seeds in warm water for 24 hours or using a knife to form a small scar in the seed. It guarantees that water and oxygen enter the seeds, causing germination.

The Gulmohar tree needs five to twelve years to mature from seed before it may begin to bloom. Therefore, Gulmohars seed germination period varies considerably. A germinating period can range from (12 to 349) days. Germination happens within 10–12 days if we follow the technique of breaking the dormancy described above; otherwise, it may take up to 349 days.

The pod’s seeds are tiny, measuring two cm in length and weighing only 0.4 grams. However, in the right circumstances, roots, after being dispersed, grow to become a whole tree. Despite this, the majority of seeds do not germinate. It is because of their physical dormancy or tough outer shells.

Pollen Grains of Delonix regia

Gulmohor Stem or Trunk

The stem is straight and develops very quickly, reaching its maximum height within the time it takes the Gulmohar tree to get its full height of (five to 12) meters (18–40 ft). Similarly, the canopy’s spreads at maturity range from 12 to 18 feet. It appears like a vase because of this. Gulmohar’s plant broad spread crown gives it the appearance of a letter “T,” making it ideal for usage as a street tree.

Each year, the Gulmohar tree gains roughly five feet. Comparatively speaking to other ornamental trees, this is relatively rapid growth. The stem is woody throughout its existence. However, the tree’s roots are not deep. Therefore, there is a potential that a tree will fall or its trunk will break during a strong wind.

Bark

Pests and diseases

The Gulmohar plant has a high level of resistance to insects and illnesses. In addition, it is free of mosquitoes and vermin.

Cultural Significance

The Gulmohar plant is revered as a sacred tree in Kerala. This flower is revered in India and outside due to its enormous appeal.

In the Indian state of Kerela , royal poinciana is called kaalvarippoo (കാൽവരിപ്പൂവ്, kālvarippūv) which means "the flower of Calvary ". There is a popular belief among Saint Thomas Christians of Kerala that when Jesus was crucified, there was a small royal poinciana tree nearby his Cross . It is believed that the blood of Jesus Christ was shed over the flowers of the tree and this is how the flowers of royal poinciana got a sharp red color. It is also known as Vaaga in many areas of Kerala.

Its blossom is the national flower of St Kitts and Nevis, and in May 2018 the royal poinciana was adopted by the city of Key West as its official tree. Known locally as semarak api, Delonix regia is the city flower of Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia.

In Vietnam, this tree is called Phượng vỹ, or "phoenix's tail", and is a popular urban tree in much of Vietnam. Its flowering season is May–July, which coincides with the end of the school year in Vietnam. Because of this timing, the flower of poinciana is sometimes called the "pupil's flower". The tree is also commonly found on school grounds in Vietnam, however after several incidents where a tree has fallen onto students, with one student killed, schools started cutting down or severely pruning the trees. Hai Phong is nicknamed Thành phố hoa phượng đỏ ("City of red poinciana").

The song "Poinciana" was inspired by the presence of this tree in Cuba.

Uses

Nest in the Gulmohar Tree

Gulmohar tree is used for a variety of commercial purposes. These include:

The Gulmohar plant’s wood is utilised as fuel. This wood has a calorific value of 4600 kcal/kg.
In bee farming, the Gulmohar blossoms are fed to the bees.
This plant produces thick water-soluble gum. The furniture and textile industries employ this natural gum as a binding agent.
Pungam Oil, particularly beneficial in tanning, is produced from the seeds.
Jewellery makers frequently employ the elongated, hard seeds of the Gulmohar plant as beads.

Gulmohor Bonsai

Benefits

There are numerous medicinal as well as environmental benefits of Gulmohar trees. These include:

Gastro-protective, antimalarial, anti-inflammatory, and cardio-protective characteristics.
Gulmohar trees are endowed with a variety of medicinal qualities. Along with having wound healing effects, they have antibacterial, antifungal, antimicrobial, antioxidant, The leaves of the Gulmohar tree are anti-diabetic. These leaves’ methanol extract is used to lower blood glucose levels.
The leaves of the Gulmohar tree may offer hepatoprotection.
These plants have anti-diarrheal qualities in their leaves.
It has flavonoids that support liver health protection.
Gulmohar tree leaves are used to make an essential oil with antifungal qualities.
The Gulmohar plant treats various bodily ailments like constipation, diabetes, malaria, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammation, and pneumonia in traditional and ancient medicine.
This plant is utilised to restore the soil.
It may also aid in repairing atmospheric nitrogen.

Disadvantages

The Gulmohor tree has certain drawbacks while being a genuinely exceptional plant and offering immense beauty. The most significant disadvantages you could experience while this tree is growing are listed here:

The roots of this tree are short. Because of this, it is vulnerable to breaking in strong winds and other bad weather conditions.
Gulmohar Fallen Tree
Insects like to eat wood.
The space that the tree takes up increases as it gets bigger. Therefore, it is not advised to plant this tree near a house.
The leaves of the Gulmohar tree frequently fall, covering the entire area and making it impossible to move around.

Meanwhile, the Gulmohar tree across the street is in full bloom; and attracting White-browed wagtail, rose-ringed parakeets, bulbuls, and Brown-headed barbets in droves—like the sirens of yore.