PlantFiles: Flame of the Forest, Parrot Tree, Bastard Teak
Butea monosperma

This is a beautiful tree, but not if you are looking for a typical tree-shaped tree. The tree tends to take on unusual forms- the trunk and limbs twist and contort, giving small trees an ancient look. Bark is also very rough, adding to its aged look.
Leaves are trifoliate and large, deciduous in the winter. When the winter/spring flowers appear, the tree is an amazing site. Flowers are densely packed, pea like, bright red and found in clusters along the limbs. The individual flowers have a very interesting exotic shape and are velvety to the touch.
A lot of literature says it is a very slow growing tree, but mine can grow quickly in the summer if fertilized and well watered. I let it dry out when it loses its leaves in the winter.

So far so good! Six saplings, collected from a Forest Dept. Nursery in South India and planted 8th August are faring extremely well along an east facing stone wall. One of them seemed a bit unsettled by a long journey in the boot and looked like it might not survive. Planted it anyway, and the good news is that it's just begun to sprout a fresh set of leaves.