Shrub
Red Bird of Paradise
Caesalpinia pulcherrima · Fabaceae
Also called: Pride of Barbados, Mexican bird of paradise (regional), Dwarf poinciana, Erythrostemon pulcherrimus
Red Bird of Paradise (Caesalpinia pulcherrima) is a low-water shrub well suited to Tucson and the low desert. It's a fast-growing shrub.
Red Bird of Paradise at a glance
- Water use
- Low (established)
- Sun
- Full sun and reflected heat; needs maximum heat and sun for best flowering. Sparse bloom in shade.
- Mature size
- Typically 4-8 ft tall and wide; can reach 8-10 ft in frost-free spots, often grown as a 3-5 ft die-back shrub.
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Bloom
- Showy orange-red flowers with yellow margins and long red stamens (also yellow-flowered forms), Late spring through fall, peaking in the heat of summer in Tucson.
- Cold hardiness
- Frost sensitive: top growth freezes back below about 30-32 F but the established root crown reliably resprouts each spring in Tucson. Acts as a root-hardy die-back shrub.
- Soil
- Well-drained soils; tolerant of poor, rocky, alkaline desert soils.
- Native range
- Tropical Americas (likely native to the West Indies/Mexico region); naturalized and extremely common in the low desert Southwest.
- Best used as
- Summer-blooming accent and screen, Pollinator and hummingbird gardens, Hot reflected-heat areas (walls, parking lots), Informal hedge
- Wildlife
- Magnet for butterflies (including swallowtails) and hummingbirds; attracts bees.
- Toxicity
- Seeds and seed pods are toxic if ingested, causing severe gastrointestinal upset in people and pets; keep children and pets away from the pods.
How to grow Red Bird of Paradise in Tucson & the low desert
Watering
Drought tolerant once established. In Tucson, deep soak every 7-14 days in summer drives strong bloom; little to no supplemental water in winter when dormant.
Fertilizer & nutrients
Low fertilizer needs as a legume (fixes some nitrogen). A light spring feeding can be applied; iron may be needed if leaves yellow (chlorosis) in alkaline soil.
Pruning & care
Cut back hard to 12-18 in in late winter/early spring after frost; it blooms on new wood, so hard pruning produces a flush of growth and heavy summer flowering. Remove frost-killed wood.
Notes
Often sold as 'Red Bird of Paradise'; the closely related Caesalpinia gilliesii (yellow) and C. mexicana (yellow, more tree-like) are also common in Tucson. Quintessential heat-loving summer bloomer that thrives where many plants struggle. Genus has been revised to Erythrostemon in some references.
Sources: University of Arizona Cooperative Extension / Pima County Master Gardeners; AMWUA Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert; Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum