Some trees flower. The flamboyant catches fire. In the dry season the whole wide flat crown goes scarlet at once, and the ground beneath it fills with red, and it stays that way for weeks.
Where you’ll see it
Gardens, town squares, hotel grounds and roadsides, planted for shade and for exactly this. It is one of the most planted ornamental trees in the tropics.
What to know
The tree is from Madagascar and has been in the Americas for centuries. The leaves are fine and feathery, the shade is broad and light, and the seed pods are long, dark and woody, hanging on through the following season. The roots run wide and shallow and can lift paving, so plant it away from the house and the driveway. Then wait for April.
