Warszewiczia coccinea (or chaconia, wild poinsettia and pride of Trinidad and Tobago) is a species of flowering plant in the family Rubiaceae. It is the national flower of Trinidad and Tobago .

Warszewiczia coccinea
Double chaconia at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Rubiaceae
Genus: Warszewiczia
Species:
W. coccinea
Binomial name
Warszewiczia coccinea
(Vahl) Klotzsch, 1853

This small, evergreen ornamental tree is remarkable for its inflorescence with bright red bracts and inconspicuous yellow petals.


A cultivar, the double chaconia, which has a double row of bracts, is the more widely cultivated form. This plant originates from cuttings taken from a wild plant found growing along a roadside. Since propagation from seed has not yet been successful, all double chaconias have been propagated by cuttings from this individual.

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