Large trees are best admired from afar. But this Royal Poinciana (Delonix regia) deserves a closer inspection to appreciate all its beauty.

I found this tree on the grounds of the Edison Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers, Florida.

‘Flamboyant’ is another common name for this spectacular flowering tree.

This is one leaf: a compound leaf made up of hundreds of leaflets.

It’s in the legume (bean) family. These foot-long seed pods form every year and litter the ground.

These buttressed roots spread wide to support a tree that can often spread more than 50 feet wide.

But these exposed roots intrigued me. They’ve been run over by cars and scalped by lawn mowers for years, creating these organic whorls.

Like a turbulent river of wood.

Knots above and roots below.