Trees
Pink Poui
Tabebuia rosea
Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor · Maturín, Venezuela (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The Pink Poui is one of the most spectacular flowering trees in Trinidad and Tobago, producing masses of large, trumpet-shaped pink blossoms before the new leaves emerge at the start of the dry season. Along roadsides and in semi-deciduous forest, a tree in full bloom is a striking sight, its bare branches covered entirely in clusters of rose-pink flowers. It is widely planted as an ornamental across T&T and is one of several poui species that herald the seasonal transition from dry to wet.
Description
A medium to large semi-deciduous tree typically 15 to 30 metres tall, with a straight trunk and broadly spreading crown. Bark is grey-brown and fissured. Leaves are palmately compound with five leaflets, deep green, and shed during the dry season before flowering. The flowers are the defining feature: large (5 to 7 cm), trumpet-shaped, bright rose-pink to pale lavender-pink with a yellow throat, borne in showy terminal clusters on bare branches. Each flower cluster contains 5 to 25 blooms. Fruits are long, slender, bean-like pods 20 to 35 cm long, splitting to release many thin, papery-winged seeds that disperse on the wind.
Ecology
Pink Poui grows naturally in seasonal and semi-deciduous forest, particularly on deeper, well-drained soils in Trinidad's central and southern regions and in Tobago's lower hillsides. The mass flowering event, which occurs for a short window of one to two weeks, attracts large numbers of bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies. The timing varies between individuals and locations and is triggered by dry-season water stress. The wind-dispersed seeds colonise gaps and forest edges effectively, making the tree a good pioneer in disturbed forest.
Human Use
Pink Poui timber is hard, durable, and attractive, used historically for furniture, flooring, and construction. The tree is widely planted as a roadside and park ornamental throughout T&T for its spectacular flowering. In traditional Caribbean medicine the bark is used to prepare tonics and the flowers are considered edible. The tree is a close relative of the Yellow Poui and shares some of its cultural prominence as a seasonal flowering landmark.
Threats
- Roadside removal during infrastructure works
- Replacement by non-native ornamentals