Could be a Cassia javanica but I haven't seen those seed pods so I am only guessing. They certainly look a little like a Poinciana and this time of year are covered in shades of pink flowers. A beautiful tree. I have propagated another Cassia (fistula) which has the long tube seedpods, and I soaked in warm water for 24 hours and then planted. They all sprouted.

As Silvergargo said, if they are like long sausages its quite likely to be a cassia. If so being a legume they will benefit from pre-treatment, soaking.
I've never grown Cassia from seed but have collected seed of a couple and was amazed at the sticky resin in the pods no doubt meant to help the seed "travel" Some have a very hard seed coat. Without wanting to waste your precious seed you might try a couple say 15 mins in a dilute hydrogen peroxide then water soak 24 hours or failing that just try soaking in tepid water.

Try this page:

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tropical/msg1116543115315.html

Does anyone knows where to get the flamboyant tree (seed or cutting) in NSW?

The Flamboyant is a Central American name (sometimes also used in USA) for what we call Poinciana (Delonix regia)or what Americans call Royal Poinciana. Just about anyone in Queensland could give you hundreds of seeds at this time of year, so prolific is this tree, They grow readily from seed. I don't know how cold tolerant they are. Maybe someone from Northern NSW can tell you, but I suspect seedlings are readily available from NSW nurseries if you ask for Poinciana.

I've never heard it called Flame Tree as used by NTPlanter above. This is one of the names used for African Tulip (Spathodea companulata), an attractive tree but a bit of a weed in the Wet Tropics.

The tree that you describe, NTPlanter, does certainly sound like Cassia javanica. It is very common in the warmer tropics and a very striking tree in flower. It is not a relative of the Poinciana. It strikes readily from seed provided they are soaked in water beforehand. Attached is a photograph of C.javanica.

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And for comparison D. regia

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Grant

Grant - great photos.
As for Delonix Regia, the furthest South that I have seen one growing is around the Coffs Harbour area but maybe someone has more to add on exactly how far South they will grow. I also know of someone who tried to grow one on the NSW central coast at Woy Woy but without success.

One of my references says that poincianas are a zone 11-12 species but, as they're grown as street trees in Brisbane, which is shown as being in zone 9 in the same book, I'm inclined to disagree with that description of hardiness!

Another reference says that the poinciana will not *flower* if grown more than 30 degrees from the equator, which is just north of Coffs Harbour (the 30th parallel falls roughly halfway between Coffs Harbour and Grafton). However, a previous poster said that flowering poincianas were to be found in West Gosford, which is about 33 deg. south of the equator, so clearly the local microclimate is crucial in determining whether you can grow this plant or not. You might be able to extend its range by planting it in a position sheltered against cold winds and frosts, although it is unlikely to grow as large as it would in the sub/tropics or to flower. (You'd have to deal with the problem of rainfall patterns too, as it likes summer rain but a dry winter. The combination of prolonged periods of rain and cold temps might prove fatal.) You could further extend its range by growing it in a tub in a warm sheltered spot but, again, it's unlikely to flower if grown too far outside its comfort zone.

An alternative you could try is CAESALPINIA PULCHERRIMA (aka dwarf poinciana or pride of Barbados), which is reputedly able to thrive in a slightly cooler climate than the poinciana. It's nowhere near as large as the poinciana, being more shrublike, but has similar flowers and looks tropical. You can see what it looks like by searching for it in the images section of Google.

Seeds of both species can be bought for a reasonable price thru the Oz website of ebay. Note that the poinciana can take up to 10 years to bloom when grown from seed.

Flame trees - Delonix regia are in full bloom now around the bangkok area. It is the peak of our summer period.

Ive seen a couple of nice poincianas growing in Perth. There is a very nice one growing in Nedlands, in fact it is one of the best specimens ive seen.

What's in a common name??

I'd associate Flame Tree in nQ/ cQ at least, with the native Brachychiton acerifolius which lights up hillsides around Airlie Beach spectacularly.

And that's not even touching on the naming confusion between true Yellow poinciana (Delonix regia var. flavida) and Peltophorum pterocarpum, which is labelled yellow poinciana *all the time*, and yellow flame much of the time.

There's a large Cassia javanica at the fledgling Mackay botanic gardens which has its toes in the lagoon and looks magnificent......a couple at my husband's office suffer from car park conditions and are forever dropping limbs. But the seedlings come up in leaf litter in numbers, maybe you've succeeded in germination by now.

I've also had trouble germinating Cassia javanica even when I've soaked the seeds well. As I already have one struggling along in the drought I gave up on the seeds but if they are germinating in mulch they probably have an inbuilt inhibitor which needs to be broken down with an acid before they will germinate - Try soaking in lemon juice and rinsing then repeating a couple of times before planting. You could also try placing some in a zip lock bag and allowing to ferment for a while - this sometimes works with stubborn seed. There is a hybrid Cassia "Rainbow showers" The flower colour you describe could be it. Robyn

Sounds to me like the hybrid of the Illawara Flame Tree and the Kurrajong. The description of the flowers and seed pods fits and would also explain why you can't germinate any of the seed.

Southern latitude limit of Delonix regia? There is a large mature Delonix regia growing in a front garden in Mosman, Sydney, near Taronga Zoo, flowers every year. This may sound unbelievable - but its true - and I'm sure!

Chris, any chance of posting a pic of this Sydney tree?

Apologies for the long delay!I will post a pic asap.

I hope someone out there can answer this. We have two large yellow flame trees and they were both growing really well and now they are dropping all of there leaves and look like they are dying, is this common for this time of the year here in Katherine as many oo the sames trees on the way into town are also doing this. Hope you can help Denise

Denise,

If I were in your area, I'd say its just winter as they are in leaf-drop mode here in sub-tropical just south of Bris.
As I have no experience of gardening in NT and this forum isn't exactly booming with traffic, I'd try contacting your local botanical garden if there is one, or failing that maybe a call or e-mail to the NT Department of Primary Industries - they will have botanists - or to Cairns Uni - you are bound to find someone to help.
Hope yours are OK