Caesalpinia pulcherrimaPride of Barbados

Few shrubs flower as hard in heat as the Caesalpinia pulcherrima. Known as Pride of Barbados or the Peacock Flower, it carries upright sprays of orange and scarlet flowers edged in yellow, each with long red stamens standing clear of the petals, and in a warm climate it barely stops.

The foliage is fine and bipinnate, giving a light, airy mass that suits it to street medians, roundabouts and hot courtyards. It is grown as a rounded shrub of 3 to 4 metres or trained on a single stem as a small standard tree.

Specifications

• Height3 to 4 metres as a shrub, or trained to a small standard tree of similar height
• Width2 to 3 metres
• Native toThe tropical Americas
• FoliageFine, bipinnate, fern-like leaves in soft green; evergreen in warm climates and briefly deciduous in cool or dry conditions
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilPrefers well-drained sandy or loamy soils; tolerates poor and stony ground
• LightFull sun
• WaterLow; drought-tolerant once established
• ClimateThrives in tropical, subtropical and arid regions and holds flowering through extreme summer heat

Additional Features

• FlowersUpright sprays of orange and scarlet flowers edged yellow, with long protruding stamens, carried nearly year round in warm climates
• UsesStreet medians, roundabouts, hot courtyards, car park islands and mixed shrub borders
• SpacingPlant 1.5 to 2 metres apart for a continuous mass, or 3 metres apart as standards
• Low MaintenanceCut back hard at the end of winter to keep it dense and flowering low
• Pest ResistanceGenerally pest free and resilient in exposed positions
• Drought TolerancePerforms reliably in water-wise and low-irrigation schemes
• Wildlife AttractionFlowers are heavily worked by butterflies
• VersatilityGrown as a clipped mass, an informal shrub or a small standard tree

Pride of Barbados is one of the most productive flowering shrubs available for hot, dry, high-exposure planting.