Meanings
plural flame trees
- Any tree or shrub with yellow or bright red flowers from several species including
The people stared in awe at the magnificently colored flame tree.
- Any tree or shrub with yellow or bright red flowers from several species including:
- Rhododendron arboreum (tree rhododendron), of southern Asia
- Brachychiton acerifolius (syn. Sterculia acerifolia.
[…] its scarlet-flowered cousin the maple leaved Sterculia, or Australian flame-tree, which we grow in California for ornament, too, is a tough waterproof fiber a couple of inches thick, that is good material for cordage and mats.
1919, Charles Francis Saunders, With the Flowers and Trees in California, R.M. McBride & Co., section 47Synonyms: Australian flame tree, Illawarra flame tree, lacebark tree
- Delonix regia (royal poinciana), native to Madagascar
- Alloxylon flammeum (Queensland tree waratah, red silky oak)
- Butea monosperma (flame of the forest), of southern Asia
- Embothrium coccineum (Chilean flame tree, Chilean firebush)
- Erythrina abyssinica, of eastern and southern Africa
- Erythrina spp. (coral trees), of most tropical and subtropical regions
- Koelreuteria bipinnata (Chinese flame tree)
- Nuytsia floribunda (Australian Christmas tree)
- Peltophorum spp. (African flame tree)
- Spathodea campanulata (African tulip tree, African flame tree)
Synonyms & antonyms
nounBrachychiton acerifolius (syn. Sterculia acerifolia.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna terrestrial evergreen shrub or small tree of western Australia having brilliant yellow-orange flowers; parasitic on roots of grasses
nounshowy tropical tree or shrub native to Madagascar; widely planted in tropical regions for its immense racemes of scarlet and orange flowers; sometimes placed in genus Poinciana
nounnorth Australian tree having white flowers and broad leaves
nounsouth Australian tree having panicles of brilliant scarlet flowers
nountropical American thorny shrub or small tree; fragrant yellow flowers used in making perfumery
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
flame + tree, from the fiery colour of the flowers.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
flame tree. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flame%20tree
“flame tree.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flame%20tree. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “flame tree,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flame%20tree.
Source: flame tree on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.