any tree of the tropical leguminous genera Caesalpinia (formerly Poinciana) having large orange or red flowers
royal poinciana
Word origin
C17: New Latin, named after M. de Poinci, 17th-century governor of the French Antilles
poinciana in American English
(ˌpɔɪnsiˈænə; ˌpɔɪnsiˈeɪnə; ˌpɔɪnsiˈɑnə)
noun
1.
any of a genus (Caesalpinia) of small, tropical trees and shrubs of the caesalpinia family, growing in dry, sandy soil and having showy red, orange, or yellow flowers
2.
royal poinciana
Word origin
ModL, after M. de Poinci, early governor of the Fr West Indies
Examples of 'poinciana' in a sentence
poinciana
I stayed behind and rested at the picnic table beneath a shady royal poinciana tree.