Erythrostemon gilliesii (Caesalpinia gilliesii)Desert Bird of Paradise

The Erythrostemon gilliesii, commonly known as the Desert Bird of Paradise and long listed as Caesalpinia gilliesii, is an open, airy shrub or small tree from the dry country of Argentina and Uruguay. Its finely divided bipinnate foliage carries upright spikes of pale yellow flowers, each one trailing long scarlet stamens well clear of the petals.

It flowers hardest in the hottest part of the year and asks for very little water, which is why it recurs in Gulf planting schedules for medians, roundabouts and courtyard beds. It is equally usable clipped as a large shrub or lifted to a small multi-stemmed feature tree.

Specifications

• Height2 to 4 metres as a shrub, occasionally to 5 metres when lifted to a small tree
• Width2 to 3 metres
• Native toNorthern Argentina and Uruguay
• FoliageFine, ferny bipinnate leaves in blue green, semi-deciduous and shed in cold or very dry spells
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilPrefers well-drained sandy or gravelly soils; tolerates poor and alkaline ground and dislikes heavy wet clay
• LightFull sun
• WaterLow; drought-tolerant once established and inclined to soft, floppy growth if overwatered
• ClimateThrives in arid and semi-arid regions with hot summers; tolerates frost once woody

Additional Features

• FlowersUpright terminal spikes of pale yellow flowers with long scarlet stamens, carried through the hottest months
• UsesMedian and roundabout planting, courtyard and podium beds, informal screening, mixed dryland shrub borders
• SpacingPlant 2 to 3 metres apart for a continuous mass, or singly as a small feature tree
• Low MaintenanceCut back hard in late winter to keep the habit dense; no routine feeding required
• Pest ResistanceLargely free of serious pests and diseases in dry climates
• Drought ToleranceDeep rooting and reliably drought-tolerant on very low irrigation
• Wildlife AttractionThe long-stamened flowers are worked heavily by bees and by nectar-feeding birds
• ToxicitySeeds and pods are toxic if eaten and the species is better kept away from planting used by young children

The Desert Bird of Paradise gives a long, showy flowering season on almost no water, which makes it unusually valuable in an arid shrub palette.