Family: Fabaceae

Yellow poinciana is a flowering tree with an upright, rounded crown.

Its native range is from SE Asia to Northern Australia.  From May to September, yellow poinciana puts on a glorious display of yellow flowers. The grape-like aroma is most potent at night. A fast-growing, drought-tolerant tree, it thrives on the leeward side, providing much-needed shade. It was widely planted in Honolulu in the early 1900s. Unfortunately, it has a very shallow root system. A devastating hurricane in 1918 wiped most of them out. Some have been replanted in the last 100 years.

The bark is used as a yellow dye, and the wood is commonly used in woodworking. It also has many medical uses. It fixes nitrogen and readily germinates by seed.

Plant Uses:

• Cut flower
• Medicinal
• Nitrogen fixer
• Ornamental
• Shade
• Specimen
• Woodworking

Plant Dangers:

• No dangers