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Delonix regia

Pātai

Flamboyant

Multimedia & Additional Resources

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Image:	Leaves and flowers (red and yellow)	91KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Flamboyant, Royal Poinciana, Peacock Flower, Flame Tree, Forest Flame, Peacock Tree; German Flammenbaum, Flamboyant; French Flamboyant

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Pātai (RR MG AK TS TW MH RK), Rākau Tāmarumaru (AT), Pū Pī (MK), Marumaru (MT); Other Polynesian - Ra‘au Marumaru (TAH)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Madagascar

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent (1892 from Sri Lanka), Not naturalised; Land, lowlands

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Ornamental (Flower/Leaf), Medicine

KEY FEATURES: Wide-spreading tree to 15m. LEAVES compound (bipinnate) with 10-20 pairs of pinnae. LEAFLETS 10-25 opposite pairs, to 1x0.5cm. FLOWERS to 12cmØ with 5 petals to 7cm, crimson to scarlet, one petal yellow with red spots. FRUIT flat woody pod to 60x7cm with transverse seeds. SEEDS cigar-shaped. A variety has flowers entirely yellow.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea: Present
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
++++	+++	++	++	+	++	+	-	-

Northern Group: Present
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
+	+	+	-	-	-

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Delonix regia (Bojer ex Hook.)
SYNONYMS: Poinciana regia

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); ROSIDAE; Fabales (Legumes); CAESALPINIACEAE

More Information

GENERAL NOTE: Introduced from Sri Lanka in 1892 by Frederick Moss, the first British Resident.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.664 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.430 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.367 Hortus 3rd
p.351 Royal Hort. Soc. Index of Garden Plants
p.543 Tropica
p.3/090 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.57 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.388d Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM03a, zD02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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