The poinciana is one of the great summer flowering trees of northern Australia, and it is often confused with the native flame tree. This guide settles which is which, where each one grows well, and how much space a poinciana needs.
Poinciana or flame tree? They are two different trees
This causes genuine confusion in Australian gardens, so it is worth settling clearly.
| Royal poinciana | Illawarra flame tree | |
|---|---|---|
| Botanical name | Delonix regia | Brachychiton acerifolius |
| Origin | Madagascar | Australian native - Queensland and NSW |
| Habit | Broad umbrella canopy, 10-12 m | Tall and upright, 10-20 m |
| Flowers | Scarlet-orange, summer | Brilliant scarlet bells, early summer |
| Leaves at flowering | In leaf | Drops leaves first - flowers on bare branches |
| Cold tolerance | Frost tender | Considerably hardier |
Delonix regia is the poinciana, native to Madagascar and planted widely across northern Australia. The tree Australians traditionally call the flame tree is Brachychiton acerifolius, the Illawarra flame tree, which is genuinely native here and grows naturally from Queensland down the New South Wales coast.
Both are spectacular. If you specifically want an Australian native, or you garden somewhere with frost, the Illawarra flame tree is the one to plant.
Where poinciana grows in Australia
| Location | How it performs |
|---|---|
| Darwin and tropical Queensland | Ideal. The classic street tree of the north |
| Brisbane, Gold and Sunshine Coasts | Excellent, flowering reliably each summer |
| Northern NSW | Good in frost-free coastal positions |
| Sydney | Marginal. Slower, and flowering is unreliable |
| Perth | Workable in a warm sheltered spot with summer water |
| Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra | Too cold. Choose the Illawarra flame tree instead |
The size and root problem
A mature poinciana spreads a broad umbrella canopy ten to fifteen metres across, often wider than it is tall, and it has a substantial surface root system that lifts paving and paths. It is magnificent in a park, a large lawn or an acreage block, and a poor choice for a standard suburban block.
Allow at least eight metres from buildings, driveways and services. It is also semi-deciduous, dropping leaves and long seed pods, so avoid siting it over a pool, a driveway or where cars park.
Growing it well
Full sun, free-draining soil, and shelter from strong wind - the timber is relatively brittle and large limbs can fail in storms. Water deeply through the first two summers, then it is fairly drought tolerant. Feed in early spring. Formative prune in the first few years to establish well-spaced branches, since the broad canopy puts real weight on the branch unions.
Related guides
You can buy the royal poinciana from us, and the native Illawarra flame tree sits with its relatives in our bottle trees and kurrajongs range.
A mature poinciana's wide dome is why it appears in our roundup of the best canopy trees to create shade.
For a cooler climate alternative with the same summer drama, our guide to the jacaranda tree is the obvious comparison.
Our guide on how to prepare the soil for planting is worth reading before you dig.
The timber is brittle, so read our guide to preparing your garden for storm season if you live where cyclones or severe storms are common, and our guide to designing a tropical garden for what to plant beneath it.
Ready to plant?
Few trees deliver a summer display on this scale, and in a warm garden with room to spread, a poinciana becomes the defining feature within a decade. Browse our flowering trees collection to see it alongside the other big summer performers, and our advanced trees range if you would rather not wait.
