PRIDE OF Barbados, Caesalpinia pulcherrima, is a member of the pea family (Fabaceae).
It is referred to by other names, including Barbados Flowerfence, Peacock Flower, Mexican Bird of Paradise, Dwarf Flamboyan, Caesalpinia, and Dwarf Poinciana. The species name, pulcherrima, literally means “very pretty.”
Pride of Barbados is believed to be native to the West Indies and tropical America.
In the tropics, it gets to 15-20′ tall, and its ungainly, wide-spreading branches can cover about the same width. It however responds positively to pruning.
The blooms of Pride of Barbados are incredible, with terminal flower clusters having an orange-red hue, with a tinge of gold on the edges.
The flower plant lives up to its name, with incredibly showy blossoms of orange, red, pink and yellow.
Each flower is composed of five petals, with very prominent six-inch-long red stamens.
The flowers are bowl-shaped, 2-3″ across, with five crinkled, unequal red and orange petals, and ten prominent bright red stamens that extend way beyond the corolla.
There are also forms with yellow, and forms with dark red flowers.
The fruits, typical legumes, are flat, 3-4″ long, and when ripe, they split open noisily to expose the little brown beans.
The stem, branches and petioles are armed with sharp spines, and the leaves are fernlike and twice compound, with many small, oval leaflets.
The flower is an attraction-grabber for butterflies and small birds who flock to them, making them much more of an attraction for any garden.
Pride of Barbados is easy to start from seed.  It is drought-tolerant once established.
A row of Pride of Barbados makes for a rather showy, fine-textured screen or informal hedge.