Common Name: Creamy Peacock Flower

General Information

Delonix elata is a deciduous tree with a rounded spreading crown and drooping branches, usually growing 5 - 15 metres tall[, ]. The bole is usually crooked and of poor form[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use for food, medicine, wood etc - the leaves are sometimes sold as a food in local markets[]. The tree is also planted and protected by local people and is cultivated in India[]. A distinct, magnificent tree in bloom, it is suitable for cultivation in gardens, avenues and amenity parks[].
Delonix elata has a widespread distribution and is also cultivated for shade, green manure, among other things. The populations are not known to be small or under major threats. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

East tropical Africa - Egypt, Sudan, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania.

Habitat

Deciduous thickets and bushland, often in hot dry Acacia-Commiphora bush and on rocky slopes or by streams or dry river beds, at elevations from 400- 1,400 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	6.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Semi-cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of drier areas in the tropics, where it can be found at elevations up to 1,400 metres[]. It grows best in areas where the mean annual temperature is around 27°c and the mean annual rainfall is 580 - 900mm[].
Requires a sunny position[]. Requires a well-drained soil, growing well in rocky soils[].
Trees can be pollarded[].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[].

Edible Uses

Leaves - cooked[]. The tender leaves are collected, chopped then cooked and served with a staple such as ugali[]. Edible fat, groundnut paste, tomatoes and onions may be added[].

Seeds - cooked. Boiled and eaten during times of famine[].

Medicinal

A decoction of the boiled roots is used as an antidote for a variety of ingested poisons[].
The roots are ground on a stone with a little water and the paste is put on an abscess to hasten ripening[].

The bark is soaked in warm water and the resulting liquid is drunk for several days to treat bilharzia[]. An infusion from the bark is also used to treat diarrhoea[].

The leaves are antiinflammatory[]. They and the twigs are chewed and swallowed as a treatment for mouth ulcers[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The tree is used for shade and is widely grown as a live fence in Tanzania[].
The plant has potential use in soil conservation projects[]. It has been successfully used in protecting channel and river banks[].
Fast-growing and fixing atmospheric nitrogen, it is a good tree for reforestation of difficult sites and, with its low crown, is effective as a shelter belt[].
The leaves are used as a green manure. Rich in Magnesium, they yield 50 - 200 kg of mulch per year. In Madras, India the leaves are used as mulch in rice fields[]..

Other Uses

A dark-coloured, mucilaginous gum is obtained from the tree[].

The yellow wood is even-grained and easily worked[]. It is used traditionally for tool handles, grain mortars, beer containers, milk pots, beehives, clogs, wooden spoons and cups and is also suitable for cabinet work, carvings and utensils[, ].
The wood is used for fuel[]. A very promising fuel wood, it has high density, calorific value and carbon percentage, and low silica and nitrogen[].

Propagation

Seed - it has a hard seedcoat and may benefit from scarification before sowing in order to speed up and improve germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing.
Cuttings
Air layering.

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