Virginia Tech Dendrology

pride-of-Barbados Fabaceae Caesalpinia pulcherrima (L.) Sw. symbol: CAPU13
Leaf: Alternate, evergreen but may be deciduous in "cooler" climates, feathery bipinnately compound, 8 to 10 inches long, leaflets oval and 3/4 inch long, light green above and below, turning red over winter.
Flower: Very showy upright terminal panicles of orange-red-yellow flowers with very long red stamens, panicles to 12 inches, individual flowers 2 or more inches wide with 5 wrinkled petals, flowers opening from the bottom of the panicle up, year-round in the tropics, late summer elsewhere.
Fruit: A flattened bean-like pod, maturing to a dry brown, 4 inches long and 3/4 to 1 inch wide, popping open at maturity and ejecting the seeds.
Twig: Slender, purplish-red with white glaucous bloom and sharp hooked prickles, leaf scars raised and nearly round.
Bark: Young bark remaining purple-red and retaining prickles for a long time; mature bark turns gray-brown, becoming smoother but may retain prickles.
Form: A shrub to 10 feet or occasionally a small tree to 20 feet, usually multi-stemmed and widely spreading.

Additional Range Information: Caesalpinia pulcherrima is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and may seed into the landscape. Download the full-size PDF map.
More Information: Fall Color
External Links: USDA Plants Database - Horticulture Information - USDAFS Forest Products Lab
All material 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information