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The fiery beauty of the Gulmohar

Flame-like flowers catch everybody’s eyes. In full bloom, royal poinciana (Delonix Regia), also called Gulmohar or flamboyant tree, offers a splendid view for residents and visitors in the UAE from April to July.

The tree tops covered with red-orange flowers are seen almost everywhere in the UAE, from parks to the road-side. More than just eye-catching beauty, royal poinciana’s wide-spread branches offer shade from the scorching sun in the summer.

It was discovered in early 19^th century in its native island country Madagascar by botanist Wensel Bojer and it was named as Delonix Regia. The tree’s fern-like leaves are composed of small individual leaflets and fold up at the onset of dusk. Looked like stretched feathers, it is also known as peacock flowers.

Rahul Gajjar spent long hours under and around the trees in various areas of Dubai, Emirates Hills, Greens and Discovery Garden to capture the best frames. And here is the red-orange flamboyant beauty of the season.

gajjar@khaleejtimes.com