Peacock flower (Caesalpinia pulcherrima)

Peacock flower (Caesalpinia pulcherrima) is a species of plant in the Fabaceae, shrub, up to 4 meters high, cylindrical stem, bark brown and cracked, wood white and dense, many branches starting from above ground level.

C. pulcherrima has compound leaves, even pinnately arranged with 4-12 pairs of minor leaves, oval breech shape, rounded tip, narrow base, flat edge, upper surface green, lower surface bluish green, 1-3.5 cm long. and 0.5-1.5 cm wide. At night the leaves will bud.



Compound flowers, 15-50 cm long, red or yellow. The crown may undergo metamorphosis into a crown tube. The fruit is pea-shaped, flat, 6-12 cm long, 1.5 cm wide, contains 1-8 seeds. The ripe fruit will be black. Seeds many, flat, dense, brown, usually 6-8 per pod.

The plant contains diterpenoids, isovouacaperol, sitosterol, and flavonoids (5,7-dimethoxyflavanone, 5,7-dimethoxy-3,4'-methylenedioxyflavanone, isobonducellin, 2'-hydroxy-2,3,4'-6'-tetramethoxychalcone and bonducellin , peltogynoid, bhonducellin, 6-methoxypulcherrimin, and homoisoflavonoid), gallic acid, red coloring matter, gum, tannins, resins, benzoic acid, cassane-type diterpene esters, pulcherralpin, lupeol, B-sitosterol, myricetin, saponins, phenols, terpenoids, tannins, and alkaloids, pulcherrin J, 6-cinnamoyl-7-hydroxyvouacapen-5-ol. phytosterols, saponins, and lignins.

All Caesalpinia seeds are poisonous, although some species can be eaten before reaching maturity. Leaves, flowers, bark and seeds are used for abortion drugs. Widely grown in gardens for its beautiful yellow, red and orange inflorescences.

The plant is used to treat intermittent fever, colds, coughs, skin diseases, liver, mouthwash for thrush in the mouth and throat, erysipelas and inflammation of the eyes, diarrhea and dysentery, wounds, chest pain, shortness of breath, kidney stones, malaria, bronchitis, stomach bloating, malignant tumors. The plant is also used as a tonic. induced abortion, laxative and emmenagogue, antipyretic and antimicrobial.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae
Tribe: Caesalpinieae
Genus: Caesalpinia Plum. ex L. in Sp. Pl.: 380 (1753)
Species: Caesalpinia pulcherrima (L.) Sw. in Observ. Bot.: 166 (1791)

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Poinciana pulcherrima L. in Sp. Pl.: 380 (1753)
Poinciana pulchra Salisb. in Prodr. Stirp. Chap. Allerton: 326 (1796)

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS

Caesalpinia hispida (G.Don) D.Dietr. in Syn. Plant. 2: 1495 (1840)
Caesalpinia pulcherrima f. flava (F.T.Hubb. & Rehder) H.St.John in Pac. Trop. Bot. Gard., Mem. 1: 179 (1973)
Caesalpinia pulcherrima var. insignis Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. 1: 166 (1891)
Poinciana alata Burm.f. in Fl. Indica: 333 (1768)
Poinciana bijuga Burm.f. in Fl. Indica: 333 (1768)
Poinciana hispida G.Don in Gen. Hist. 2: 433 (1832)
Poinciana pulcherrima var. flava F.T.Hubb. & Rehder in Bot. Mus. Leafl. 1: 9 (1932)
Poinciana pulcherrima f. flava (F.T.Hubb. & Rehder) O.Deg. in Fl. Hawaiiensis 169b: [s.p.] (1938)
Radackia amicorum Cham. & Endl. in Ann. Wiener Mus. Naturgesch. 1: 186 (1836)

PUBLICATIONS

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Dy Phon, P. (2000). Dictionnaire des plantes utilisées au Cambodge: 1-915. Chez l'auteur, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Figueiredo, E. & Smith, G.F. (2008). Plants of Angola. Strelitzia 22: 1-279. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.

Figueiredo, E., Paiva, J., Stévart, T., Oliveira, F. & Smith, G.F. (2011). Annotated catalogue of the flowering plants of São Tomé and Príncipe. Bothalia, A Journal of Botanical Research 41: 41-82.

Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2023). Flora of North America North of Mexico 11(1): 1-541. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.

Forzza, R.C., Zappi, D. & Souza, V.C. (2016-continuously updated). Flora do Brasil 2020 em construção http://reflora.jbrj.gov.br/reflora/listaBrasil/ConsultaPublicaUC/ResultadoDaConsultaNovaConsulta.do.

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Fosberg, F.R., Sachet, M.-H., Oliver, R. (1979). A geographical checklist of the Micronesian Dicotyledonae. Micronesica; Journal of the College of Guam 15: 41-295.

Garcia-Mendoza, A.J. & Meave, J.A. (eds.) (2012). Diversidad florística de Oaxaca: de musgos a angiospermas (colecciones y listas de especies), ed. 2: 1-351. Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.

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Gonzalez, F., Nelson Diaz, J. & Lowry, P. (1995). Flora Illustrada de San Andrés y Providencia: 1-281. Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Colombia.

Govaerts, R. (1999). World Checklist of Seed Plants 3(1, 2a & 2b): 1-1532. MIM, Deurne.

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Kumar, S. & Sane, P.V. (2003). Legumes of South Asia. A Checklist: 1-536. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Lock, J.M. & Ford, C.S. (2004). Legumes of Malesia a Check-List: 1-295. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Lock, J.M. & Heald, J. (1994). Legumes of Indo-China a check-list: 1-164. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Lock, J.M. (1989). Legumes of Africa a check-List: 1-619. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

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Peyre de Fabregues, B. & Lebrun, J.-P. (1976). Catalogue des Plantes Vascularies du Niger: 1-433. Institut d' Elevage et de Médecine Vétérinaire des Pays Tropicaux, Maisons Alfort.

Plunkett, G.M., Ranker, T.A., Sam, C. & Balick, M.J. (2022). Towards a checklist of the vascular flora of Vanuatu. Candollea 77: 105-118.

Polhill, R.M. (1990). Flore des Mascareignes 80: 1-235. IRD Éditions, MSIRI, RBG-Kew, Paris.

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Zuloaga, F.O., Morrone, O. , Belgrano, M.J., Marticorena, C. & Marchesi, E. (eds.) (2008). Catálogo de las Plantas Vasculares del Cono Sur. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 107: 1-3348. Missouri Botanical Garden.

VERNACULAR NAME

Arabic: بندق هندي - زهرة الطاووس - فخر بربادوس - شجيرة الجنة الطائر الأحمر
Assamese: Krishnachura
Bengali: কৃষ্ণচূড়া - রাধাচূড়া Krishnachura, Radhachura
Chinese (simplified): 洋金凤 - 金凤花
Chinese (traditional): 紅蝴蝶 - 黃蝴蝶
Croatian: Paunov cvijet
Czech: Sapan nádherný
English: Peacock flower, Red bird-of-paradise bush, Dwarf poinciana, Pride of Barbados, Barbados Pride, Bird-Of-Paradise Flower
Filipino: Bulaklak ng paraiso, Caballero
Finnish: Riikinkukkokesalpinia
French: Petit flamboyant, Orgueil de Chine
German: Pfauenstrauch
Guangdong: 紅蝴蝶 - 黃蝴蝶
Hawaiian: ʻohai aliʻi
Hebrew: קסאלפיניה יפהפיה
Hindi: कृष्ण-चूरा - कृष्ण-चूड़ा - गुलेटुरा - गुलुतोरा - कृष्ण-चरण - कृष्ण-चरण Krishna-chura, Krshn-chooda, Guletura, Gulutora, Krshn-charan, Krishna-charan
Hong Kong: 紅蝴蝶 - 黃蝴蝶
Indonesian: Kembang merak, Kembang patra, Bunga merak, Bunga merak merah, Patrakomala
Japanese: オウコチョウ - オオゴチョウ - オウゴチョウ
Java: Kembang Merak, Merakan
Kannada: Ratnagandhi, Rathna gandhi, Ratnagamdhi, Meese hoovu, Channakeshava gida, Kenjige
Khmer: Kan gok meas, Fang ham, Dok fang
Konkani: Ratnagandhi
Lao: Hang nok nyung
Macao: 紅蝴蝶 - 黃蝴蝶
Madura: Perak kegel
Malayalam: Settimandaram, Chethimandaram, Chettimandaram, Mayilkonna, Thechimandaram, Rajamalli
Manipuri: Krishnachura
Marathi: Sankasur, Shankasur, Shankhasur, Morshenda, Rajtura
Melayu: Jambul merak
Mizo: Krishanchura
Nepali: कृष्ण-कुरा - गुलेतुरा - गुलुटोरा - कृष्ण-करण Kr̥ṣṇa-cura, Guletura, Guluṭora, Krsna-caraṇa
North Sulawesi: Bunga kacang
Oriya: Krishnochuda, Tarra
Polish: Brezylka nadobna
Portuguese: Flor-de-Pavão, Flamboyanzinho
Russian: Цезальпиния красивейшая, Цезальпиния прекраснейшая, Павлиний цветок
Sanskrit: Sidhakya, Krishnachuda, Ratnagandhi
Sinhala: මයුර්කොන්රායි - මයුර්කොන්රායි - මයිල් කෝනේ - මයිල් කොන්නයි - මයර්-කොන්රායි - මයර්-කොන්රායි Mayurkonrayi, Mayurkonrai, Mayil kone, Mayil konnay, Mayir-konrayi, Mayir-konrai
Slovak: Cezalpínia krásna
Spanish: Clavellino, Bigotillo, Flor de San Francisco, Flor de camarón, Tabachin, Falso malinche, Hoja de Sen, Tabachín enano
Sunda: Kembang patra kembala, Kembang patra kembala, Kembang patra
Taiwan: 紅蝴蝶 - 黃蝴蝶
Tamil: මයුර්කොන්රායි - මයිල් කොන්නායි - මයිල් කොන්නයි - මයර්-කොන්රායි Mayurkonrai - Mayil konnai - Mayil konnay - Mayir-konrai
Telugu: Ratnagandhi, Ratna gandhi, Karpuramaddi, Paniditangedu
Thai: หางนกยูงไทย
Turkish: Tavuskuşu Çiçeği
Vietnam: Đuôi công

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