Dubai’s Flame Tree season: How a tree from Madagascar became part of the city’s soul

Dubai: Every city has a season that belongs only to it. In some places, it arrives with falling leaves or cherry blossoms. In Dubai, it comes right before summer, in flashes of orange and red. As the Flame Tree begins to blossom every year in May, it transforms the city - from streets to schools and neighbourhood parks. Earlier this month, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, shared a beautifully animated video on social media, announcing the start of the Flame Tree season in Dubai . During a recent meeting with Dubai Municipality and the Dubai Future Foundation, Sheikh Hamdan also spoke about how the tree was a symbol of life and beauty in the city. “In summer, when the Flame Tree blooms in Dubai, it brings life to every home, every majlis, every street, and every park,” he said. “With it, our city blooms, full of life and beauty.” He also directed the expansion of Flame Tree planting across the emirate, alongside the distribution of seedlings to residents who wish to plant them in their homes or farms. The Dubai connection Originally from Madagascar, the Flame Tree, botanically known as Delonix regia, was introduced to Dubai decades ago as part of the emirate’s urban greening efforts, according to Eng. Khawla Al Ali, Head of Executive Team ( picture, above )– Pioneering & Community Initiatives, Agriculture Department at Dubai Municipality. “Although the species was introduced from abroad, it adapted exceptionally well to Dubai’s climate and gradually became one of the city’s most recognised flowering trees,” she told Emirates 24|7. As the video posted by Sheikh Hamdan stated: “It came from far away but in Dubai it found something that felt like home. So it stayed, until it became part of the city’s soul.” That’s because apart from its bright seasonal bloom, the tree is uniquely suited to survive in desert conditions, while also providing shade. It’s broad canopy helps provide coolness and shade to people passing by, which is one of the reasons it has been a part of some communities for years, if not decades. “The Flame Tree has a particularly strong presence in several of Dubai’s older neighbourhoods and established urban areas, including Jumeirah, Al Safa, Rashidiya and parts of Deira and Bur Dubai, where mature trees have been part of the streetscape for many years. In these areas, the tree contributes to a sense of place and continuity within Dubai’s evolving urban landscape,” Eng. Khawla said. And that may be why the tree feels so personal to people here. For many UAE residents, the tree is part of memory – of school, of their neighbourhood park, or the road the family always drove past. Respite from the summer sun The fact that the tree begins to blossom just before the summer solstice feels almost symbolic — as though inviting people to pause beneath its shade. Speaking about the environmental benefits of why the tree was particularly chosen to be planted across Dubai, Eng. Khawla said: “Its canopy can reach up to 15 metres wide, creating shaded areas that improve pedestrian comfort and help reduce surface heat beneath the tree. The ‘up to 5°C’ cooling reference is generally linked to the difference between shaded and unshaded ground surfaces, where tree canopy cover reduces direct solar exposure and contributes to cooler microclimate conditions. While this can vary depending on location, time of day, irrigation, surrounding materials and canopy density, the tree’s shade clearly supports Dubai’s wider urban cooling and liveability objectives.” The tree also supports biodiversity, she added, attracting birds, butterflies and pollinators during its flowering season. Dubai Municipality says tens of thousands of Flame Trees have been planted across streets, parks and public spaces throughout the emirate. Areas such as Jumeirah Street, Airport Road, Safa Park and Dubai Canal continue to showcase the tree as part of Dubai’s green landscape. And perhaps that is what makes the Flame Tree so uniquely tied to Dubai. Like many residents who arrived from elsewhere and built a life here, the tree itself came from far away. Yet, over time, it found a home.