Peacock flower with other common names like Pride of Barbados, and Dwarf Poinciana belongs to Caesalpiniaceae (Gulmohar) family. The Botanical name is Caesalpinia pulcherrima and in Hindi it is known as Guletura, Sidhakya in Sanskrit, Kenjige in Kannada, Krishnachura in Bengali, Mayurkonrai in Tamil, and Settimandaram in Malayalam.
The leaves and flowers of this plant resemble Gulmohar tree but the height of the plant grows up to 3 meters only. It is an evergreen plant and blooms throughout the year. The leaves are bi-pinnate, 20-40 cms long. Flowers appear in clusters with attractive long stamens and pistil up to 20 cms long.
Peacock flower blooms in red, orange, pink, and yellow with five petals. The fruit is 6 to 12 cms long. Peacock flower is the national flower of Barbados.
The seeds are considered poisonous. Peacock flower plant is grown as an ornamental plant in gardens. Presence of thorn on stems makes it an ideal plant for the hedges.
Propagation:
Propagation is from seeds and cuttings. Peacock flower plant is a hardy plant that can grow in tropical and sub-tropical climate. It grows best when planted in a sunny area.
Uses:
Peacock flower is offered to Lord Ganesha during the 21 Pushpa Pooja while chanting the below mantra: “Om Vaani Balapradaaya Namaha Shamyaaka Pushpam Samarpayami”.
