THIS Delonix regia, commonly called Flamboyant or Royal poinciana, was uprooted by heavy winds early yesterday on Main Street, posing a traffic hazard.This tree, which comes under the purview of the Mayor and City Council (M&CC), belongs to the Leguminosae family and originated in Madagascar. It is named after Phillippe de Longvilliers de Poincy, a former governor of St Kitts.

According to Wikipedia, this regal flowering tree is now widely distributed throughout the tropics, and is one of the showiest trees when in bloom.

It often reaches a height of 40-50 feet. To control its height, one simply trims the branches two to three times per year.

It is used as a shade tree here in Guyana, as well as in many of the Caribbean islands. When in bloom, there are clusters of reddish-orange flowers with a broad cream to white lip. Each flower has five petals.

After flowering, seed pods develop which hang on the tree for several months. There is also another colour in this tree; a golden-yellow, which, though rare, is equally as beautiful as the vermillion variety.

The Flamboyant Tree is planted along avenues and in parks, giving shade and people can sit under them and have a picnic.

At present, many of these trees are in full bloom, and are readily identifiable on Brickdam and Main Street, as well as along the East Coast and East Bank Demerara.