I went to the San Marcos Nature Center today. They have several Pride of Barbados (Caesalpinia pulcherrima) bushes in their garden area and the flowers were incredible.

The San Marcos Nature Center is a neat little place, located at the intersection of Interstate 35 and the San Marcos River. It’s a bit unexpected to find it there, but I like that even in the middle of all the development and traffic, there’s a small refuge for our plants and wildlife. The center has some small animal exhibits in the main building and a wildscape of many plant, mostly native, found in the San Marcos area.

Pride of Barbados is not a native, but I see them frequently, so I decided to learn more about them. The beautiful yellow and orange flowers have long stamens and make a striking combination. They are arranged in a circle around a long slender stem. They attract many butterflies and hummingbirds may like them too. They would look nice in any garden.

Pride of Barbados

The plants are believed to be native to the West Indies and tropical Central America. They do well in our climate. The ones at the Nature Center are well over 10 feet tall, but there are smaller varieties.

It has been selected as a Texas Superstar plant which means it is highly recommended by Texas A&M AgriLife and has been tested for superstar performance in the Texas landscape. It’s a nice choice for your garden.

Pride of Barbados

Here’s a view down the long stem so you can see the circular arrangement.

Pride of Barbados