Is this the same tree as Gulmohar?

No — true Gulmohar (Delonix regia) is a large shade tree, while peacock flower (Caesalpinia pulcherrima) is a much smaller ornamental shrub, though both have similarly vivid orange-red flowers.

What colours does it come in?

Commonly orange-red with yellow edges, but pure yellow and pink-red flowered forms are also grown.

✿Caesalpiniaceae · Caesalpinia

Guletura / Dwarf Poinciana

Caesalpinia pulcherrima

Also known as Peacock Flower, Barbados Pride, Peacock Cassia, Barbados Flower-Fence, Gold Mohur

Shruboutdoor

Habit: Shrub
Found in India: Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka & more
Flowering: Throughout the year

Identify this plant with SASYA

How to identify Guletura

Identify Guletura by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.

Look for a shrub habit.
Check the distinctive field mark: Long showy red stamens (peacock flower).
Confirm leaf type: Bipinnately compound.
Confirm flower colour: Yellow.
Confirm flower arrangement: Raceme.
In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: Throughout the year.
In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and nearby regions.

Plant Details

Scientific name: Caesalpinia pulcherrima
Genus: Caesalpinia
Family: Caesalpiniaceae
Habit: Shrub
Habitat: Grown as ornamental plant
Habitat type: Cultivated
Native to: Tropical America
Distribution: Widely Cultivated
Found in India: Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Kerala, Gujarat, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Assam, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Tripura, Puducherry, Punjab, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand
Flowering & fruiting: Throughout the year
Conservation status: Not Evaluated (NE)

Leaf characters

Leaf type: Bipinnately compoundrecordedThe leaf is divided twice — each 'leaflet' is itself a row of smaller leaflets, giving a fine, fern-like look.“The leaves are bipinnate, 20–40 cm long, bearing three to 10 pairs of pinnae, each with six to 10 pairs of leaflets 15–25 mm long and 10–15 mm broad.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Typical of the family

Arrangement: Alternate
Margin: Entire
Venation: Pinnate

Characters marked “recorded” are for Guletura itself; the rest are typical of the Caesalpiniaceae family.

Flower & fruit characters

Flower colour: Yellowrecorded
Flower arrangement: RacemerecordedIndividual stalked flowers arranged along a central stem, opening from bottom to top.“The flowers are borne in racemes up to 20 cm long, each flower with five yellow, orange, or red petals.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Fruit type: LegumerecordedA dry pod that splits open along two seams (typical of the pea/bean family).“The fruit is a pod 6–12 cm long.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Typical of the family

Flower symmetry: Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
Inflorescence: Raceme
Fruit: Legume

Characters marked “recorded” are for Guletura itself; the rest are typical of the Caesalpiniaceae family — flowering plants only.

Local Names

Hindi: गुलेतूरा guletura
Bengali: ক্রিশ্নচূড়া Krishnachura, রাধাচূড়া Radhachura, রাধাচূড়া
Tamil: Mayurkonrai, மயில் கொன்றை
Telugu: రత్నగంధీ Ratnagandhi
Kannada: ಕೆಂಜಿಗೆ Kenjige, ರತ್ನಗಂಧಿ Ratnagandhi, ರತ್ನಗಂಧಿ
Malayalam: Settimandaram, രാജമല്ലി, Caesalpinia pulcherrima
Marathi: Sankasur, रासतुरा

Guletura in India

This ornamental shrub, known as गुलेतूरा guletura (Hindi), Mayurkonrai (Tamil), రత్నగంధీ Ratnagandhi (Telugu), ಕೆಂಜಿಗೆ Kenjige (Kannada), Settimandaram (Malayalam), Sankasur (Marathi), is planted widely for its vivid flowers. Caesalpinia pulcherrima is grown across Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, Gujarat, both as a garden shrub and a flowering hedge.

Uses

It's grown almost entirely as an ornamental, valued for its long flowering season and vivid orange-red-and-yellow blossom, and is also planted as a flowering screening hedge.

How to Identify Guletura

A shrub or small tree with finely divided, fern-like bipinnate leaves. Flowers have crinkled, fringed petals in orange, red or yellow with very long, protruding red stamens, followed by flat pods.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Dwarf poinciana called in different Indian languages?: गुलेतूरा guletura (Hindi); Mayurkonrai (Tamil); రత్నగంధీ Ratnagandhi (Telugu); ಕೆಂಜಿಗೆ Kenjige (Kannada); Settimandaram (Malayalam); Sankasur (Marathi); ক্রিশ্নচূড়া Krishnachura (Bengali).
Is this the same tree as Gulmohar?: No — true Gulmohar (Delonix regia) is a large shade tree, while peacock flower (Caesalpinia pulcherrima) is a much smaller ornamental shrub, though both have similarly vivid orange-red flowers.
What colours does it come in?: Commonly orange-red with yellow edges, but pure yellow and pink-red flowered forms are also grown.

Botanical family

Caesalpiniaceae

Senna family

Guletura belongs to the Caesalpiniaceae family.

The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.

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Common plant problems

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Sources: GBIF — Caesalpinia pulcherrima (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Caesalpinia pulcherrima (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)