Caesalpinia pulcherrima is a native of tropical regions of the Americas, and likely originated in the West Indies or Mexico (2,3,4). The first known reference of the plant by a European comes from Francisco Hernández, a Spanish botanist, in the early 16th century (5). The plant was admired by the European colonizers of the Americas, who called it flos pavonis, or "peacock plant", and by the late 17th century it was being grown as an ornamental plant in the major botanical gardens in Europe, including that of naturalist Carl Linnaeus in Uppsala (5). C. pulcherrima was originally named Poinciana pulcherrima in 1694 by the French botanist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort, to commemorate a fellow Frenchman, General Philippe de Lonvilliers, chevalier of Poincy, who was governor of the island of Saint Christopher (5). Linnaeus kept this name, but it was later changed in 1791 by the Swedish taxonomist Olof Swartz to Caesalpinia (in honor of the 16th-century Italian botanist Andrea Cesalpino), because the genus Poinciana contained only this plant (5). Caesalpinia is now generally considered to be the official genus, though Poinciana is still frequently mentioned as the basionym of the plant (6). The epithet of the plant’s name, pulcherrima, was retained. Pulcherrima is the feminine superlative form of the Latin adjective pulcher, and means “the most beautiful”. Today C. pulcherrima remains a popular plant: it is cultivated in both hemispheres, and is commonly found throughout Sonoran desert landscapes (2,7). It is sometimes called "dwarf Poinciana" due to its similarity to the Royal Poinciana tree (Delonix regia), which some consider to be the most beautiful tree in the world (8). The continuing popularity of C. pulcherrima is due to its easy propagation, its adaptability, fast growth, and above all, its brilliant, long-lasting summer blooms. It can be used in a variety of ways, including as an ornamental accent plant or hedge. Its showy colors attract birds, hummingbirds, and butterflies (3).