Scarlet bloom of deepest dye,
That with the summer sunset vie…
In flashful boast, thy thick-massed flame:
Lo! Thou hast put its wealth to shame:
For all out-done, the tropic sun
Recalls his tint-skilled fays of fire,
Glowing rich in envy as they fly.
These lines from American poet George E Merrick’s 1920 poem ‘The Royal Poinciana in Bloom’ are an ode to the gulmohar’s splendour. If the rose speaks of soft love, the gulmohar’s deep orangish-red blooms scream of passion.
Gulmohar trees paint a story in the summer sky, one of warmth, and nature’s exuberance before the monsoon arrives to wash it all anew. They often lay a flaming mosaic on the ground, mirroring the blaze above.
Among the oldest ornamental trees, the gulmohar, scientifically known as Delonix regia, is also referred to as the May-flower tree, flamboyant tree, flame tree, or royal poinciana.
Its primary Indian name, gulmohar, evolved from an amalgamation of gul (flower) and mor (peacock). In simple terms, the peacock among trees, courtesy its flamboyance.
Gulmohar is also known as kaalvarippoo, meaning ‘flower of Calvary’. Some Christians believe a Royal Poinciana stood near Jesus’s cross on Mount Calvary, its flowers stained red by his blood. In some parts of India, it is called ‘Krishnachura’, or ‘Lord Krishna’s crown’.
For years, gulmohar trees have adorned parts of Thiruvananthapuram hues of deep, orangish red. And there is a story behind this natural delight.
When Chithira Thirunal travelled to Mysore to study administration, he was captivated by the city’s verdant avenues and tree-lined roads. “There, he met the Mysore maharaja’s official botanist, Gustav Hermann Krumbiegel, the man behind the design of Lalbagh,” says historian M G Sasibhooshan.
Impressed by Gustav’s vision, the maharaja invited him to Thiruvananthapuram to create green stretches. “By then, Chithira Thirunal had become maharaja and had moved his residence to Kowdiar. Along both sides of the road leading to the palace, vaaga (the Malayalam name for gulmohar) was planted. Originally a forest tree, Gustav transformed vaaga into an avenue highlight,” Sasibhooshan adds. “That is why in the early days, Trivandrum was known as ‘mini Bangalore’.”
A bit of history
Though now a familiar sight across many tropical and subtropical regions, the gulmohar was once native only to Madagascar. In the 1820s, Czech botanist Wenzel Bojer encountered it in Madagascar and introduced it to Mauritius, where he was based. From there, it spread gradually across the world.
In India, it is believed to have arrived around the 1840s, and believed to have taken root first in Sewri, Mumbai.
“In India, especially along the main roads, you will mostly see exotic species like gulmohar because native trees rarely have such flashy, flowering canopies. That visual impact mattered in earlier days,” says E S Santhosh Kumar, technical officer at Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden & Research Institute, Palode.
“Many of these non-native trees adapt fast; they settle in, thrive, and sometimes even push out native species.”
In Kerala, its wood was once used for making bullock carts, and its medicinal properties caught the attention of Ayurveda practitioners.
It is believed to have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and antioxidant properties. Its leaves have been traditionally used for controlling diabetes and liver diseases.
“This is not something rare. Almost every tree in the world has such properties,” says Santhosh. “Urban biodiversity remains one of the least studied areas.”
Anita Santhi, coordinator of the Tree Walk Community, says the Gulmohar is one of the trees consistently tracked by the group. “You will find plenty around Kowdiar Palace grounds, institutions, and campuses like Keltron,” she says.
“Several residents’ associations have approached us, asking for our opinion about planting the tree in their neighbourhoods. We do not really encourage planting it in packed areas — trees like gulmohar, which are not native, sometimes don’t do well in the wake of extreme climate swings. From what we have observed, many of the trees that fall or drop branches during heavy winds and rains are the non-native species.”
“While more research is needed to understand how well the gulmohar suits Kerala’s climate, its beauty is undeniable. The bloom is a sight to behold indeed.”
Now as the monsoon sets in, the ‘passionate flames’ of nature will be doused. Until next summer.