Flamboyant Trees

I am in love with a tree. It is a Flamboyant Tree. Its graceful, oak-like limbs intrigue me with their sturdy twists and turns. Its lush, fern-like foliage expands into a magnificent green umbrella, inviting you to sit beneath its shade. And perhaps most striking of all, its brilliant orange blossoms top the tree like a fiery crown. Maybe that's why some people call it a "flame tree."

I have seen these trees in Hawai'i, but never knew their name. I rediscovered them last week in South Florida. After we passed through the dreary Everglades, it seemed like we had landed on a kaleidoscopic planet, the roads virtually lined with tropical nurseries that displayed dozens of different types of flowering trees, plants, and palms. The palm trees were impressive enough. But it was the Flamboyant Tree that won my heart.

As we drove towards Key West, the Flamboyant Tree grew more and more prolific. The colors on this tree are so vivid that you might say this tree is downright garish. Simply calling its foliage "green and orange" doesn't do the Flamboyant Tree justice. It's more like "green and orange on crack."

Now, I don't normally get this excited about trees and plants and stuff. I am not a gardener or a tree hugger or a crunchy nature chick. But this tree is different. It's not just Flamboyant...it's Fabulous!

The more scientific name of this gorgeous tree is "Royal Poinciana." But Flamboyant Tree is so much more fitting.