Common Name: Peacock flower. Tamil Name: Mayil Kondai Peacock flower is a shrub native to the Caribbean Islands; it grows to around 2.5 meters in height. It is a very common ornamental often seen planted in house gardens and along highway dividers. The flower color can be orange, yellow or in varied shades of pink. The orange color shrub is the most common. The leaves are bi-pinnate and 8-10 pairs of pinnae are seen. The number of leaflets in each pinnae is around 11 pairs. The leaflets are arranged in an opposite manner. The leaflets have a small leaf stalk which measure around 1 mm. The leaflets are elliptic in shape and measure around 1.5 cm in length. The base of the leaf is cuneate and apex emarginate. The inflorescence is a terminal raceme. The flower stalks measurers around 3 cm in length. The calyx has five sepals which are reddish in color and look like small petals. The flower has 5 petals which may be colored in orange/yellow or in shades of pink. The flower has 10 stamens; filaments are red in color. The pod measures around 9-10 cm in length and is initially green in color. The mature pod is brown in color. The pod consists of about 7-8 seeds which are elliptical in shape and dark brown in color.
