About
Caesalpinia pulcherrima is an upright evergreen shrub or small tree, typically reaching heights and widths of up to 4 meters. It features finely divided leaves and produces vibrant red and yellow blossoms that appear for much of the year, with the most abundant flowering occurring during spring and autumn.
About the genus
Caesalpinia encompasses shrubs, trees, and climbing varieties characterized by their evergreen, twice-compound leaves. They produce terminal clusters or racemes of flowers featuring five petals and prominent stamens.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Aspect
- West-facing, South-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H3
Plant details
- Plant type
- Shrubs, Conservatory Greenhouse
- Habit
- Bushy
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Height
- 2.5-4 metres
- Spread
- 2.5-4 metres
- Time to full height
- 10-20 years
- Suggested uses
- City and courtyard gardens, Patio and container plants, Architectural
- Native to
- Trop. America
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow outdoors in full sun in a frost-free area in moist but well-drained soil. Under glass grow in peat-free, loam-based compost in full light. Plants under glass may need a restrictive prune after the first flush of flowers. In hot climates it is tolerant of dry areas where it can be grown out of doors, providing a dense thorny barrier
- Pruning
- No pruning required
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed or softwood cuttings
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to glasshouse red spider mite, glasshouse whitefly and mealybugs
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to honey fungus (rarely)