The leguminous genus Delonix is perhaps best known for D. regia, the showy orange-flowered tree widely planted in the tropics and aptly known as the “flamboyant” or “royal poinciana”. A number of pachycaulous species are also native to Madagascar. D. floribunda is one of the most succulent of these. In fact, the more familiar synonym, Delonix adansonioides, is a reference to those ultimate examples of pachycauly in the genus Adansonia, though this comparison is a bit of an exaggeration. D. floribunda is a modest-sized tree 3 to 12 m. tall comparable to Pachypodium geayi in mature stature, forming a cigar-shaped trunk to 70 cm diameter topped by an umbrella-shaped crown of slender branches. HBG 94009, plants from seeds collected January 2000, by Bana Rakotoarison in forest near Maromandilia, Morondava, Madagascar. $12.
Published in the Cactus and Succulent Journal, Vol. 78 (2), March - April, 2006