Yellow Poinciana

Yellow Poinciana (Peltophorum pterocarpum) is the shade tree to plant when you want serious cover quickly. It grows fast to around 12m tall and 10m wide, spreading a broad umbrella of soft, ferny foliage, and lifts spikes of golden flowers above it through the warmer months. Its natural range runs from Southeast Asia into coastal northern Australia.

Why you'll love it

• Real shade, fast. Among the quickest large shade trees for warm climates, with a crown you can sit under within a few years.
• Golden flower spikes. Upright candles of yellow stand above the foliage, followed by flat copper brown pods.
• Tough where summers are hard. Heat, humidity, salt spray and dry spells barely slow an established tree.
• Part of the local flora. Native to northern Australia, with flowers that feed bees and butterflies.

Where it works best

Shade tree. Plant it to the north or west of an outdoor living area, at least 6m from the house and clear of pools and paving, and let the crown do the cooling.

Feature planting. A single specimen on a big lawn gives ferny foliage all year, then gold in the warm season.

Driveways and avenues. Space trees 8m to 10m apart so the crowns just meet. Best for acreage entries and long rural drives rather than narrow suburban strips.

Growing Yellow Poinciana in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun in a tropical or subtropical garden. Frost tender, especially while young, it is not a tree for cool temperate districts or frosty inland sites. On the subtropical margin, plant in spring so it banks a full warm season before its first winter.

Soil. Any reasonable free draining soil suits. Work compost through the planting area, water in well and mulch to 75mm, kept clear of the trunk.

Water and feed. Deep soak once or twice a week for the first two summers; after that it is drought tolerant. A complete fertiliser each spring helps young trees along.

Pruning. Shape early: keep a single leader and lift the lowest branches so you can walk beneath it. Expect leaf thinning in late winter, then a fresh flush as the weather warms.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Yellow Poinciana from tube stock through to advanced 45L, 100L, 200L and 400L trees. Tubes are inexpensive and quick away, though they need staking and shaping. The 45L is an established young tree; the 100L to 400L specimens deliver an instant canopy.

Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Water on arrival, plant within days, and expect new growth within four to six weeks in warm weather. Every tree is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• The best canopy trees for creating shade
• Browse more flowering trees
• Plants for tropical gardens
• Royal Poinciana, the red flowering tree that shares its name

Common questions

How fast does Yellow Poinciana grow?

In a warm climate with summer water, young trees commonly put on around a metre a year. A 45L tree brings usable shade years sooner than a tube.

Does it drop much litter?

Spent flowers and pods drop through summer and autumn, plus the leaf thinning in late winter. No messier than most large flowering trees, but plan for what sits beneath the canopy.

Can I grow it in a pot?

Only briefly. A tube holds in a large pot for a season or two, but a 12m shade tree needs open ground.