Flamboyant Vs Cassia Fistula (Golden tree)

Mauritius is adorned in its more beautiful finery to celebrate the end of the year. We walk along the roads, sometimes lost in the sugar cane plantations, the majestic flamboyants put their red coat on for the summer season. His rival, the Cassia Fistula (called the Casse in Mauritius) and its yellow flowers which he adorns, easily holds his head. Summer is here! Endemic tree of Madagascar, the Flamboyant was introduced to Mauritius by the Austrian naturalist and botanist Wenceslas Bojer in 1820. Its flowers have many small names: flower of paradise, pride of China, peacock flower, crest of cock but for botanists it is delonix regia. In Mauritius is the “banana flower”, the flower of the year that accompanies us in December for the New year! We must wait until the tree has reached its tenth year to bloom. A patience largely rewarded because the show of the Flamboyant Royal in bloom is magic. Cassia fistula is probably native to India and Sri Lanka. It is widespread in East Africa and in several islands of the Indian Ocean, including Mauritius. It is a fast-growing tree, it can reach 20 meters in height. Its foliage is obsolete. Once a year, it is adorned with its golden yellow flowers and offers a magical show.