This tree must be one of the most beautiful tropical flowering plant, with its light green pinnate leaves and flamboyant flowers that bloomed all year round. I have the reddish orange-yellow and jgolden yellow variety. There is another variety, pink-scarlet which is not so common, but I have seen all three varieties grown along the northern parts of the North-South Highway.
These plants can grow very tall, but with careful pruning it can be groomed as small bushy shrubs. However watch out for the thorns when pruning. The peacock flower plant grows easily from seeds. Within a short period, from six to eight months of growth the first buds will appear even when the plant is just slightly over two feet tall! It is an amazing plant indeed. The first spray of buds will appear at the tip of the plant, then smaller sprays may appear. As the plant branches out, more sprays of flowers will appear. The appearance of the new buds are not very different from the cotton ear buds. The seeds are contained in the beans that will change from green to brown over a period of time. The bean pods will burst, and scatter the seeds a distance away from the mother plant.
This plant can stand drought conditions, and do not need much fertilizing. It is a robust plant and grows back easily once pruned. The flowers stayed for sometime, and new buds keep appearing as the old ones fade. Once they start flowering, these plants are never without blooms, so it is very rewarding to have this plant in the garden. The peacock flower plant loves the sun and provides good shade for the smaller plants.
I have yet to see this plant attacked by pests. The seeds are said to be toxic.
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