Flamboyant tree outside Dete Post office

Nov 02, 2017

Have you ever seen a peacock tree in bloom?  The eye-catching delonix regia, is also known as the flamboyant tree or royal poinciana!  We came upon this splendid sight while driving to the post office here in Dete.  Picking up our mail could possibly be the most mundane of all our weekly activities, but my goodness - the transformation of a tree alters everything about this experience. 

Of course, it took a while for Danny to understand what all my “oohing” and “aaahing” was about.  Nature is simply inspiring. The marvelous ways these dull boughs become dressed up with blossoms as if in preparations for the festive season.

This striking tree is a member of the bean family and is native to Madagascar.  It displays red and yellow flowers before it’s delicate, fern-like leaves emerge. It produces long woody brown seed pods (which made Danny think it was a sausage tree).  The pods can reach lengths of up to 60 cm. They turn very dark, almost black when ripe.

Interestingly, among some Christians, there is a belief that a flamboyant tree was near the place where Jesus was crucified.  The blood of Jesus was shed over the flowers of the tree and this is how the flowers got such a scarlet red colour.