Brisbane tree guide

Yellow poinciana

Peltophorum pterocarpum · also called Yellow flame tree, Peltophorum

Yellow poinciana is a spreading shade tree with fine, fern-like leaves and big upright sprays of crinkled yellow flowers from late winter into summer. It is native to the Northern Territory's coastal lowlands and to South-East Asia, and it is widely planted as an ornamental across the tropics. It grows to about 15 metres, so it suits large gardens and parks rather than small yards.

Australian native
10 to 15 m tall
Flowers August to January

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Yellow poinciana, from Wikimedia Commons — Photo: Steve Fitzgerald, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Yellow poinciana at a glance

Height: 10 to 15 m
Leaves: Deciduous
Flowers: Yellow, August to January
Origin: Northern Territory coastal plains, and India through South-East Asia to New Guinea
Family: Fabaceae

How to identify a yellow poinciana

Yellow poinciana has fine, fern-like leaves divided twice into many pairs of small oblong leaflets, and its young shoots, flower stalks and buds are covered in rusty-brown hairs. In flower it carries upright sprays 30 to 50 cm long at the branch tips, packed with bright yellow blooms whose petals are wavy and crumpled, with orange pollen. Flat, wing-edged pods 5 to 10 cm long follow. The rusty hairs on new growth and the upright yellow flower sprays are the main clues.

Growing a yellow poinciana in Brisbane

Yellow poinciana is a tropical tree that grows naturally on coastal plains, river flats and the edges of monsoon forest in the Northern Territory. In the north it is a popular shade and street tree, and City of Darwin rates it as a large tree for big gardens, parks and streets. Brisbane-specific growing information is scarce, so treat it as a tree for a warm, sunny, spacious spot, and allow room for a tree that reaches 10 to 15 metres tall.

What to watch out for

Yellow poinciana is not on Brisbane City Council's weed list, but it has naturalised in northern Queensland and Western Australia after being planted, so watch for seedlings coming up around a mature tree. At 10 to 15 metres it is a big tree, so keep it clear of houses and overhead wires.

Pruning and care

Yellow poinciana needs little routine pruning. Remove dead, damaged or crossing branches with clean cuts just outside the branch collar, and lift low limbs if you need clearance over a path or driveway. Its flowers form in sprays at the branch tips, so heavy pruning just before flowering will cost you that season's display. Mature trees with large limbs over roofs or driveways are a job for an arborist with the right gear.

Yellow poinciana: your questions

Short answers, from the sources below.

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When does yellow poinciana flower?

Flowering is recorded from August to January, with upright sprays of bright yellow, crinkled flowers at the ends of the branches, followed by flat pods from about December to March.

How big does a yellow poinciana grow?

A yellow poinciana grows to about 15 metres, and City of Darwin classes it as a large tree suited to big gardens, parks and streets rather than small yards.

Is yellow poinciana native to Australia?

Yes, in part of its range. It grows wild in the Northern Territory, on coastal lowlands and some offshore islands, and also from India through South-East Asia to New Guinea.

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Sources and credits

Photo: Steve Fitzgerald, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

This profile updates sheet 17 of the plant profile booklet made for Colourful Tree Lopping in 2013. We checked every fact against current sources and rewrote it for the guide.

Checked October 2026. Weed listings and council rules change: check the council's and the Queensland Government's pages before you act.