In search of fire trees

Since people in Congress are on vacation (or termination...ugh) mode, the House of Representatives is again almost car-less. Thankfully, the Plenary area was open (a shortcut to Mitra Bldg.) and as I walked into the lobby, I realized how beautiful the trees around Congress were. They were all so big and green - excluding the fire trees.

Of course, the fire trees made them even more attractive - a hint of red and orange here and there to make it all perfect.

They reminded me of the fire trees we saw on our way home from Bataan on our Bataan escapade last May.

So what are fire trees?

Surprisingly, if you type in "fire tree" in Google, you won't find any Wikipedia entry.

Lexic.us defines it as:

Noun. A terrestrial evergreen shrub or small tree of western Australia having brilliant yellow-orange flowers; parasitic on roots of grasses.
Exact synonyms: Christmas Tree, Flame Tree, Nuytsia Floribunda

Apparently, if you search for "flame tree," it refers to so many other red-flowering trees all over the world. I did, however, stumble upon a blog (by a Pinoy) describing the flame/fire tree. I am not yet sure which species it is, but they are found all over the country. (A well-traveled friend agreed with me that we might actually be referring to different trees).

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) lists it as one of the recommended trees for their "10 million trees campaign." Further Google searches would point out that the Philippine variety is known as Delonix regia. The ones I saw in Bataan, in University of the Philippines Diliman and at Congress seemed different so as I am writing this, I am still searching for proof.

The proof

The Delonix regia variety has been sighted in Iloilo. They are quite distinct with their fern-like leaves (click last links to see pictures). Apparently, it's the same in UP. Here's another photograph from UP, listing it also as Delonix regia. Another blogger with pictures from UP thought it was Morella faya, but you can somehow see the fern-shaped leaves from the low-resolution photographs posted in the entry.

I never really looked at them closely so I never noticed the fern-like leaves. How weird. Now I'm scouring my e-mail, looking for my own photo of a fire tree in UP.

According to a comment from the blog I earlier mentioned, the fire trees in Bataan are also called arbol del fuego (arbol in Spanish means wood or tree and fuego is of course fire). Other commenters agreed with the blogger, saying that there were stories that narrated how Magellan saw the fire trees from his ship. He thought they were ablaze in a forest fire and that was how it was written in the voyage chronicles (I'd like to check this out later when I get a hold of that text - read a portion during one of my classes in College).

Another commented that the blooming of the fire trees signaled the start of hunting season for the tribesmen of Isabela.

Here's another breathtaking fire tree from Sarangani.

Delonix regia

Delonix regia translates to "Royal Poinciana," which further means "a royal or grand tropical tree or shrub." It comes from the Fabaceae family and is most known for its fern-like leaves and fiery flowers.

According to Wikipedia, they are in bloom (in the Philippines) during the months of April and May, but most of us would probably attest that there are still a lot in bloom this month.

It is considered an invasive specie in some countries (like Australia) because of its dense shade and root system - stealing other plants of sunshine and water.

The flowers are large and are comprised of four petals. In some countries, the flame/fire tree are completely red because of the shedding of leaves.

Based on comments and accounts, they are a favorite home of caterpillars and other insects.

Other Flame Trees

As written earlier, "fire or flame tree" is a generic term used for various species of trees with dense red flowers. The large amount of flowers make the tree appear red and in some cases, left completely red because of the shedding of leaves.

Besides our Delonix regia, there are apparently several other shrubs or trees considered to be flame trees in their respective countries. Here are some:

Brachychiton acerifolius or the Illawarra Flame Tree is mostly found in Australia. Its flowers are in a beautiful shade of scarlet and are bell-shaped. On a side note, Australian band Cold Chisel released a song entitled "Flame Trees" in 1984.

"Oh the flame trees will blind the weary driver. And there's nothing else could set fire to this town." And so the song goes.

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A modern cover was done by Sarah Blasko.

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The Erythrina or coral tree from Africa is another spectacular specie with striking colors.

The Chilean Embothrium are more like shrubs growing on tall shoots. The flowers are bright red and are tubular shaped, growing in dense bunches.

Butea monosperma also known as "Flame of the Forest" is found in a lot of southern Asian countries like Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and western Indonesia. Like other tropical trees, they are used for a lot of things like resins, medicine and dye.

Flame trees, beside their invaluable uses, are perhaps among the most inspiring trees in the world. They have caught the attention of photographers, artists, poets and even musicians.

In the Philippines, they have inspired both folklore and modern travelogues.

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I have found the picture I took in UP. It was a Talisay tree after all! Still, it was nice seeing the beautiful fire trees during the summer.