Plant Family: Belongs to the Bignoniaceae family, which includes its close relative, the Yellow Poui (Tabebuia serratifolia) of Trinidad and northern South America and the Yellow Poui of Jamaica (T. rufescens), the Sausage Tree (Kigelia africana) and the African Tulip (Spathodea campanulata)

Description: Tall, erect, fast growing forest tree, up to 30 m (100 ft) high, with straight bole and wide crown; provides some of the most spectacular bursts of flowers seen anywhere, with its full tree, "big boom" type floral display; compound leaves opposite, digitate (like a hand), with 3-5 ovate leaflets, often leafless at flowering; the beautiful, pink flowers are trumpet shaped, in large clusters, with flowering in April/May, the latter part of dry season, and flowering beginning as early as 3 years; fruit an elongated, bilocular capsule15-20 cm long (6-8 in) and about 12 mm wide (0.5 in), with winged seed; a most beautiful tree when flowering, which, unfortunately, ends much too soon.

Natural Habitat: Moderate rainfall regions of tropics and sub-tropics; in Dominica common in coastal thickets of the Windward/Atlantic coast in association with Galba trees (Calophyllum antillanum).

Origin and Distribution: Native to Central and South America from Mexico and the West Indies to Ecuador, and grows wild on the Windward/Atlantic coast of Dominica; propagation by seed, with germination in 3-4 days after planting.

Uses: Wood is important commercially, used for internal building work - furniture, paneling, cabinets, wooden bowls, floorboards; Caribs use wood for canoe building; tree used as shade for coffee and cocoa.

References:
C.D. Adams. Flowering Plants of Jamaica. University of the West Indies, Mona, Glasgow University Press 1972
Dan H. Nicolson. Flora of Dominica, Part 2: Dicotyledoneae. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 1991
Lennox and S.A. Seddon. Flowers of the Caribbean. Macmillan, London 1978
H.F. Macmillan. Tropical Planting and Gardening. Macmillan, London 1956
Barry Hammel. Bignoniaceae: Tabebuia rosea. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri 2005
E.M. Flores and W. A. Marin. Tabebuia rosea. Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, Costa Rica 2004
Robert A. DeFilipps. Useful Plants of the Commonwealth of Dominica, West Indies. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 1998