Gulmohar Tree (Delonix regia): Where It Grows in India and How to Plant It

Gulmohar (Hindi गुलमोहर, also spelt gulmohur; Delonix regia), called the flame tree or royal poinciana in English, is a fast-growing flowering tree from Madagascar that is now planted along roads and in parks across most of warm India.

It is not a native Indian tree. ICFRE notes that it was brought to India within roughly the last 150 years and is now widely grown as a garden and avenue tree; its native home is northern and western Madagascar (Kew).

For a few weeks in the hottest months, mostly from about April to June in north and central India, its wide, umbrella-shaped crown turns scarlet. It is a beautiful tree for an open space, but its shallow roots and brittle branches need room.

Photo: "Delonix regia - Gulmohar Theppakadu Junction Mudumalai Apr24 A7C 10871" by Timothy A. Gonsalves, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts

Scientific name	Delonix regia (Hook.) Raf.; older books use Poinciana regia
Family	Fabaceae (legume family; older Indian books list it under Caesalpiniaceae)
Hindi name	गुलमोहर (Gulmohar, also spelt gulmohur or gul mohr)
English names	Flame tree, royal poinciana, flamboyant, gold mohur, peacock flower, May flower tree
Other names	Krishnachura (Bengali), Peddaturayi (Telugu), Mayirkonrai (Tamil), Kempu turai (Kannada)
Native to	Northern and western Madagascar (Kew); introduced in India
Mature height	Up to about 18 m in good conditions (ICFRE); usually roughly 10–15 m (ICRAF)
Growth rate	Fast (ICRAF); first flowers usually in the fourth or fifth year (ICRAF)
Flowering	Mostly April–June in north and central India (eFlora of India, Plants of Rajasthan); timing varies by region
Water need	Moderate; ICRAF gives roughly 700–1,200 mm of rain a year, and drier places need watering until the tree is established
Planting season	With the monsoon rains in most regions (ICFRE); months are a guide, see How to plant
Conservation status	Least Concern (IUCN Red List global assessment, 2014)