Family: Fabaceae
Scientific name: Caesalpinia gilliesii
Common name: Desert Bird of Paradise / Bird of Paradise bush
Origin: Argentina and Uruguay
The desert bird of paradise originates from Argentina and Uruguay, but now also grows in other parts of South America and in countries around the Mediterranean Sea. Especially the flowers with yellow petals and long, red stamens are attractive, as well as the pinnate leaves which gracefully close in the evening. The pods are covered with red hairs and are poisonous. In the Amazon, the pods and seeds are used against fever and other diseases/medical issues. In a sheltered spot, the species could possibly be winter-hardy in Western Europe. The plant loses it leaves at frost.
Sowing description: First soak the seeds overnight in lukewarm water. Then sow them in sowing mix and let them germinate at 25degC. Germination can occur in less than a week.
Sowing time: Whole year
Difficulty: Easy
Minimum temperature: -5 graden Celsius
Photo 1: BoethingTreeland.com
Photo 2: Javier Martin
