Family: Fabaceae
Dwarf poinciana is a small tree with an open, rounded crown. Utility-friendly, it won’t grow above 15 feet and damage utility lines. And it can be planted near structures and roadways because it has unobtrusive roots.
An evergreen tree, Bipinnately compound leaves have a fern-like appearance. Dwarf poinciana always put on a fantastic display of red and yellow flowers. Oddly shaped, they feature five uneven, crinkly petals and ten prominent stamens. Following flowers grow elongated seed pods. They will turn brown and eventually fall off; seed litter is minimal.
It does best in full sun. Dwarf poinciana is both wind and salt-tolerant. Water well until established; after that, it is drought tolerant and low maintenance. It is a fast-growing, nitrogen-fixing, pono tree!
Plant Uses:
- Bonsai
- Container plant
- Lei flower
- Nitrogen fixer
- Ornamental
- Specimen
- Bonzai
High Risk Traits:
- Naturalized beyond native range (but not Hawaiian Islands to date)
- Thorny stems/leaves
- Self-compatible (can self-pollinate)
- Persistent seed bank
- Tolerates pruning/cutting back
- Grows in varied soil types
- Related species are invasive
Low Risk Traits:
- Not a significant agricultural/environmental weed
- Not allelopathic
- Non-toxic to animals/humans
- Not a major pest host
- Requires full sun (shade intolerant)
- Does not form thickets
- No vegetative spread
- Poor natural seed dispersal
- Low seed production
