Caesalpinia pulcherrima

Caesalpinia pulcherrima is a fast-growing and deciduous shrub or small tree growing to 4 meters tall.
This treelet is armed with scattered prickles (occasionally unarmed) and it has low and spreading branches.

The branches of Caesalpinia pulcherrima are smooth, green or glaucous, glabrous, shiny, with few scattered prickles.
The bark is pale and smooth, often marked with blackish lenticels and armed with stout prickles rising from rounded protuberances.
The wood of Caesalpinia pulcherrima is hard, the sapwood is white and the heartwood orange-yellow.

The leaves of Caesalpinia pulcherrima are bipinnate with 6 to 12 pairs of opposite pinnae. This compound leaf is about 25-30 cm long and 15-20 cm wide with a 5 cm long petiole. A pinna is 6 to 10 cm long and composed of 6-12 opposite pairs of leaflets. The stalk of a pinna is about 0.5-0.7 cm long. A leaflet is 1.8-2.5 cm long and 1 cm wide. The leaflets are oblong with entire margins, rounded and slightly oblique base and emarginate apex with a tiny mucro. The petiolule is very short (less than 1 mm long). The venation is reticulate. The leaves are glabrous, dark green above and light green beneath.

The inflorescences of Caesalpinia pulcherrima are large, erect and terminal racemes about 15 cm long and 15 cm across.
The flowers are borne on long pedicels (fully opened flowers are 5 cm long). They are lanceolate, acuminate, deciduous and short bracts at the base of the pedicels. The flowers are 4 cm across, showy, orange, yellow, pink or red.
The calyx is tubular at the base and composed of 5 sepals with one larger than the others. The sepals are glabrous, hooded are coloured. The calyx-tube is about 0.5 cm long, the short sepals are 1 cm long and 0.6 cm wide and the largest is 1.8 cm x 0.8 cm.
The corolla is composed of 5 colourful petals, 4 are equal and 1 is smaller than the others. The largest are 2.2 cm long and 1.9-2 cm wide and the small one is 2 cm long and 0.7 cm wide. The petals have an orbicular limb and a distinct claw. The petals are crumpled, the margins are irregularly crenate and crinkly, the apex is rounded and the base narrow (a claw).
The androecium is composed of 10 free stamens attached at the top of the calyx-tube. The filament are filiform, 3-4 times the length of the petals (6.5-7 cm long) and coloured (according to the colour of the corolla). The base of the filaments is covered with white hairs. The anthers are small (1.5 mm long) and versatile.
The ovary is borne on a small gynophore above the calyx-tube. The ovary is 8 mm long, compressed, glabrous. The style is 5 cm long, coloured (according to the colour of the corolla) and the stigma is small and simple.

The fruit of Caesalpinia pulcherrima is a pod. 
This pod is nearly straight, oblong, flat and thin, 8-10 cm long and 1.8 cm wide. The apex is horned and the base is narrow. 
The ripe fruit is dark brown (sometimes reddish).
Each pod contains 8-10 seeds.
At maturity, the pod splits and ejects the seeds.

There are 8 to 10 seeds in a pod. The seeds of Caesalpinia pulcherrima are dark brown, obovoid, smooth, 0.8 cm long and 0.6 cm wide.

Feathery foliage, showy flowers and quick growth rate make Caesalpinia pulcherrima a very popular ornamental plant.

The seeds of Caesalpinia pulcherrima are edible before reaching maturity.

In some places, green pods are cooked and eaten.