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''Erythrina'' is a genus of plants in the pea family,
Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomenc ...
. It contains about 130 species, which are distributed in tropical and
subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...
regions worldwide. They are trees, with the larger species growing up to in height. The generic name is derived from the Greek word , meaning "red", referring to the flower color of certain species.


Names

Particularly in horticulture, the name coral tree is used as a collective term for these plants. Flame tree is another vernacular name, but may refer to a number of unrelated plants as well. Many species of ''Erythrina'' have bright red flowers, and this may be the origin of the common name. However, the growth of the branches can resemble the shape of sea coral rather than the color of ''
Corallium rubrum Precious coral, or red coral, is the common name given to a genus of marine corals, ''Corallium''. The distinguishing characteristic of precious corals is their durable and intensely colored red or pink-orange skeleton, which is used for m ...
'' specifically, and this is an alternative source for the name. Other popular names, usually local and particular to distinct species, liken the flowers' red hues to those of a male chicken's
wattle Wattle or wattles may refer to: Plants *''Acacia sensu lato'', polyphyletic genus of plants commonly known as wattle, especially in Australia and South Africa **''Acacia'', large genus of shrubs and trees, native to Australasia **Black wattle, c ...
s, and/or the flower shape to its leg spurs. Commonly seen Spanish names for any local species are ''bucaré'', ''frejolillo'' or ''porotillo'', and in Afrikaans some are called ''kafferboom'' (from the species name ''Erythrina caffra''). ''Mullumurikku'' is a widespread name in Kerala.


Description and ecology

Not all species of ''Erythrina'' have bright red flowers; the Wiliwili (''E. sandwicensis'') has extraordinary variation in its flower colour, with orange, yellow, salmon, green and white all being found within natural populations. This striking color
polymorphism Polymorphism, polymorphic, polymorph, polymorphous, or polymorphy may refer to: Computing * Polymorphism (computer science), the ability in programming to present the same programming interface for differing underlying forms * Ad hoc polymorphis ...
is also found in ''
Erythrina lysistemon ''Erythrina lysistemon'' is a species of deciduous tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is native to South Africa. Common names include common coral-tree, lucky bean tree, umsintsi (Xhosa), muvhale (Venda), mophete (Tswana), koraalboom of kann ...
'' and ''
Erythrina caffra ''Erythrina caffra'', the coast coral tree or African coral tree, is a tree native to southeastern Africa, which is often cultivated and has introduced populations in California and India. All the 17 species of coral tree in the genus ''Erythri ...
''. All species except the
sterile Sterile or sterility may refer to: *Asepsis, a state of being free from biological contaminants * Sterile (archaeology), a sediment deposit which contains no evidence of human activity *Sterilization (microbiology), any process that eliminates or ...
hybrids ''E.'' × ''sykesii'' and ''E.'' × ''bidwillii'' have
legume A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock f ...
-type fruit, sometimes called pods, containing one or more seeds. The resilient buoyant seeds are often carried by the sea for large distances and are commonly called " sea beans". ''Erythrina'' leaves are used as food plants by the larvae of some
Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...
species including the
swift moth The Hepialidae are a family of insects in the lepidopteran order. Moths of this family are often referred to as swift moths or ghost moths. Taxonomy and systematics The Hepialidae constitute by far the most diverse group of the infraorder Exopo ...
''
Endoclita damor ''Endoclita damor'' is a species of moth of the family Hepialidae. It is known from India and the Himalayas. Food plants for this species include ''Albizia'', ''Altingia'', ''Cinchona'', ''Coffea'', ''Erythrina'', ''Eugenia'', ''Glochidion'', ''Ma ...
'' and the woolly bears ''
Hypercompe eridanus ''Hypercompe eridanus'' is a moth of the family Erebidae first described by Pieter Cramer in 1775. It is found in Colombia, Suriname and French Guiana. Larvae have been recorded feeding on ''Cissus'', ''Citrus'', '' Erythrina'', ''Ipomoea'', ...
'' and ''
Hypercompe icasia ''Hypercompe icasia'' is a moth of the family Erebidae first described by Pieter Cramer in 1777. It is widely distributed in South America and is also found on Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint Martin, Dominica, St. Kitts, Nevis, St. Thomas and P ...
''. The mite ''
Tydeus munsteri ''Tydeus munsteri'' is a species of mite belonging to the family Tydeidae. This very small oval, eyeless mite is around 250 μm in length with a soft body covered in striations. It has been recorded from various plants in the vicinity of Munster ...
'' is a
pest Pest or The Pest may refer to: Science and medicine * Pest (organism), an animal or plant deemed to be detrimental to humans or human concerns ** Weed, a plant considered undesirable * Infectious disease, an illness resulting from an infection ** ...
on the coastal coral tree ('' E. caffra''). Many birds visit the
nectar Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists ...
-rich ''Erythrina'' flowers. In the Neotropics, these are usually larger
hummingbird Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the biological family Trochilidae. With about 361 species and 113 genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but the vast majority of the species are found in the tropics aro ...
s, for example the
swallow-tailed hummingbird The swallow-tailed hummingbird (''Eupetomena macroura'') is a species in the hummingbird family (Trochilidae), found mainly in east-central South America. Most authorities place it in the genus '' Eupetomena'', although some place it in '' Campyl ...
(''Eupetomena macroura'') and the black-throated (''Anthracothorax nigricollis'') and
green-breasted mango The green-breasted mango or Prevost's mango (''Anthracothorax prevostii'') is a species in subfamily Polytminae of the hummingbird family Trochilidae. It is found from eastern Mexico south through most of Central America, in Colombia and Venez ...
s (''A. prevostii'') – though they seem not to be especially fond of '' E. speciosa'' at least, which they visit rather opportunistically. In Southeast Asia, the black drongo (''Dicrurus macrocercus'') which usually does not eat nectar in quantity has been observed feeding on '' E. suberosa'' flowers, and
myna The myna (; also spelled mynah) is a bird of the starling family (Sturnidae). This is a group of passerine birds which are native to southern Asia, especially India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Several species have been introduced to areas like ...
s and of course more specialized nectar feeders also utilize coral tree flowers. Lorikeets such as the collared lory (''Phigys solitarius'') and the possibly
extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...
New Caledonian lorikeet The New Caledonian lorikeet (''Vini diadema'') is a potentially extinct lorikeet endemic to the Melanesian island of New Caledonia. Taxonomy The New Caledonian lorikeet was formerly assigned to the genus ''Charmosyna''. It was moved to the ge ...
(''Charmosyna diadema'') are known to consume (or have consumed) large amounts of ''Erythrina'' nectar.


Use by humans

Some coral trees are used widely in the tropics and
subtropics The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical and climate zones to the north and south of the tropics. Geographically part of the temperate zones of both hemispheres, they cover the middle latitudes from to approximately 35° north and ...
as street and park trees, especially in drier areas. In some places, such as Venezuela, ''bucaré''s are used as shade trees for coffee or
cocoa Cocoa may refer to: Chocolate * Chocolate * ''Theobroma cacao'', the cocoa tree * Cocoa bean, seed of ''Theobroma cacao'' * Chocolate liquor, or cocoa liquor, pure, liquid chocolate extracted from the cocoa bean, including both cocoa butter and ...
crops. In the Bengal region, they are used for the same purpose in ''
Schumannianthus dichotoma ''Schumannianthus dichotomus'', also known as 'cool mat', was first described by Roxburgh, with its current name after Gagnepain. The plant belongs to the family Marantaceae and no subspecies are listed. ''S. dichotomus'' is typically found in ...
'' plantations. '' E. lanceolata'' in particular is considered highly suitable as "frame" tree for vanilla vines to grow up on.
Native Hawaiians Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, First Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians) ( haw, kānaka, , , and ), are the indigenous ethnic group of Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaii ...
made a number of items from '' wiliwili'' wood because of its low density, such as ''mouo'' ( fishing net floats), ''
ama Ama or AMA may refer to: Ama Languages * Ama language (New Guinea) * Ama language (Sudan) People * Ama (Ama Kōhei), former ring name for sumo wrestler Harumafuji Kōhei * Mary Ama, a New Zealand artist * Shola Ama, a British singer * Ām ...
'' ( outrigger canoe floats, and extremely long ''papa hee nalu'' (
surfboard A surfboard is a narrow plank used in surfing. Surfboards are relatively light, but are strong enough to support an individual standing on them while riding an ocean wave. They were invented in ancient Hawaii, where they were known as ''papa he'e ...
s) called ''olo''. ''Olo'', which averaged , were exclusively ridden by '' alii'' (royalty). The wood was sometimes used for the '' waa'' (hull) of outrigger canoes intended to be used near-shore, for recreation, or for training. The shiny orange-red seeds were strung into '' lei''. The conspicuous, even dramatic coral trees are widely used as floral emblems. cockspur coral tree ('' E. crista-galli'') is the national flower of Argentina and Uruguay. The coastal coral tree ('' E. caffra'') is the official city tree of Los Angeles, California, where it is referred to simply as the "coral tree". The state trees of Mérida and Trujillo in Venezuela are ''bucaré ceibo'' ('' E. poeppigiana'') and purple coral tree (''bucaré anauco, E. fusca''), respectively. Yonabaru, Okinawa as well as the
Okinawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city o ...
, Quanzhou, Fujian Province and Pathum Thani Province have the Indian coral tree ('' E. variegata'') as floral emblems. Known as ''thong lang'' in Thailand, the latter species is also one of the ''thong'' ("trees") referred to in the name of
Amphoe Chom Thong, Chiang Mai Province Chom Thong District, Chiang Mai ( th, จอมทอง, ) is a district (''amphoe'') in the southern part of Chiang Mai province in northern Thailand. History According to the legend of ''Wat'' Phra That Si Chom Thong Worawihan, the temple is o ...
. In a similar vein, Zumpahuacán in Mexico derives its name from
Nahuatl Nahuatl (; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahua peoples, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller ...
''tzompahuacá'', "place of the '' Erythrina americana''". In Vietnam, people use the leaves of ''E. variegata'' to wrap ''nem'' (a kind of fermented pork). In Hinduism, the ''mandara'' tree in
Indra Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war.  volumes/ref> I ...
's garden in
Svarga Svarga (), also known as Indraloka and Svargaloka, is the celestial abode of the devas in Hinduism. Svarga is one of the seven higher lokas ( esoteric planes) in Hindu cosmology. Svarga is often translated as heaven, though it is regarded to b ...
is held to be '' E. stricta''. The same motif is found in Tibetan Buddhism, where the ''man da ra ba'' growing in Sukhavati is identified as an Indian coral tree (''E. variegata''). The concept of the
Five Trees "Five Trees" in Paradise is a mysterious allegory or concept from famous Coptic language, Coptic Gospel of Thomas NHC 2: (gnostic library from Nag Hammadi in Egypt) 19th saying/logia of Jesus and other sources of religious mythology. Blatz Transl ...
of Paradise is also found in Christian Gnosticism. Though as none of the trees is identified as an ''Erythrina'' here, the concept might not be as directly related to the Asian religions as some presume. The seeds of at least one-third of the species contain potent
erythrina alkaloid ''Erythrina'' is a genus of plants in the pea family, Fabaceae. It contains about 130 species, which are distributed in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. They are trees, with the larger species growing up to in height. The generi ...
s, and some of these are used for medicinal and other purposes by indigenous peoples. They are all toxic to some degree, however, and the seeds of some can cause fatal poisoning. The chemical compounds found in plants in this genus include alkaloids such as
scoulerine Scoulerine, also known as discretamine and aequaline, is a benzylisoquinoline alkaloid (BIA) that is derived directly from (''S'')-reticuline through the action of berberine bridge enzyme. It is a precursor of other BIAs, notably berberine, nosc ...
, erysodin, erysovin (namely in '' E. flabelliformis''), and the putative anxiolytic
erythravine Erythravine is a tetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloid found in the plant '' Erythrina mulungu'' and other species of the genus '' Erythrina.'' Biological activity Some laboratory research has investigated the biological activity of erythravine, but ...
(isolated from
Mulungu Mulungu is a common name of the creator deity in a number of Bantu languages and cultures over East, Central and Southern Africa.Gonzales, cap. 3 This includes Yao, Nyamwezi, Shambaa, Kamba, Sukuma, Rufiji, Turu, Ameru and Kikuyu. In tr ...
, ''E. mulungu'').
Erysodienone Erysodienone is a key precursor in the biosynthesis of many ''Erythrina''-produced alkaloids. Early work was done by Derek Barton and co-workers to illustrate the biosynthetic pathways towards erythrina alkaloids. It was demonstrated that erysodie ...
is a precursor in the
biosynthesis Biosynthesis is a multi-step, enzyme-catalyzed process where substrates are converted into more complex products in living organisms. In biosynthesis, simple compounds are modified, converted into other compounds, or joined to form macromolecules. ...
of many of these alkaloids.


As food

Root tubers of ''Erythrina'' species have been traditional food for aborigines of the Northern Territory of Australia. NTFlora Northern Territory Flora online:
''Flora of the Darwin Region: Fabaceae.''
Retrieved 10 June 2018


Selected species

* ''
Erythrina abyssinica ''Erythrina abyssinica'' (lucky bean or flame tree) is a tree species of the genus '' Erythrina'' belonging to the plant family of the Fabaceae (or Leguminosae) described by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in 1825. This leguminous tree species is ...
'' Lam. ex
DC. Augustin Pyramus (or Pyrame) de Candolle (, , ; 4 February 17789 September 1841) was a Swiss botanist. René Louiche Desfontaines launched de Candolle's botanical career by recommending him at a herbarium. Within a couple of years de Candolle ...
(
East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa: Due to the historical ...
) * '' Erythrina acanthocarpa'' * '' Erythrina americana'' Mill. – ''Colorín'', ''Tzompāmitl'' ( Mexico) * '' Erythrina ankaranensis'' Du Puy & Labat ( Madagascar) * '' Erythrina atitlanensis'' Krukoff &
Barneby Rupert Charles Barneby (6 October 1911 – 5 December 2000) was a British-born self-taught botanist whose primary specialty was the Fabaceae (Leguminosae), the pea family, but he also worked on Menispermaceae and numerous other groups. He was emp ...
* ''
Erythrina berteroana ''Erythrina berteroana'' is a species of small deciduous tree in the family Fabaceae. It is found in Mexico, Central America and the northern part of South America. Common names include elequeme, gallito, machete, pernila de casa, pito and poró ...
''
Urb. Ignatz Urban (7 January 1848 – 7 January 1931) was a German botanist. He is known for his contributions to the flora of the Caribbean and Brazil, and for his work as curator of the Berlin Botanical Garden. Born the son of a brewer, Urban s ...
* ''
Erythrina burana ''Erythrina burana'' is a species of legume in the family Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,Chiov. __NOTOC__ ''Emilio Chiovenda'' (18 May 1871 – 19 February 1941) was an Italian botanist. Chiovenda was born in Rome in 1871 to a family originating from rural Piedmont. He was educated at the Collegio Rosmini in Stresa and Domodossola College be ...
( Ethiopia) * ''
Erythrina caffra ''Erythrina caffra'', the coast coral tree or African coral tree, is a tree native to southeastern Africa, which is often cultivated and has introduced populations in California and India. All the 17 species of coral tree in the genus ''Erythri ...
'' Thunb. – Coastal coral tree (Southeastern Africa) * ''
Erythrina corallodendron ''Erythrina corallodendron'', the red bean tree, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. It is native to the Caribbean; Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, the Leeward Islands, and the Windward Islands, and has been introduced to ...
'' L. (
Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and th ...
, Jamaica) * '' Erythrina coralloides'' D.C. – Flame coral tree, naked coral tree ( Arizona in the United States, Mexico) * ''
Erythrina crista-galli ''Erythrina crista-galli'', often known as the cockspur coral tree, is a flowering tree in the family Fabaceae, native to Argentina, Uruguay, southern Brazil and Paraguay. It is widely planted as a street or garden tree in other countries, not ...
'' L. – Cockspur coral tree, ''ceibo, seíbo, bucaré'' ( Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay) * ''
Erythrina decora ''Erythrina'' is a genus of plants in the pea family, Fabaceae. It contains about 130 species, which are distributed in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. They are trees, with the larger species growing up to in height. The generi ...
'' Harms * ''
Erythrina edulis ''Erythrina edulis'' (basul) is a nitrogen fixing tree that is native to the Andean region from western Venezuela to southern Bolivia. Nowadays it is known in Venezuela as "frijol mompás", in Bolivia, Peru and Northwest Argentina as "psonay", "p ...
'' Micheli – Basul ( Andes) * ''
Erythrina eggersii ''Erythrina eggersii'' is a vine or tree in the family Fabaceae which is commonly known as cock's-spur, espuelo de gallo, or pinon espinoso. It is native to Puerto Rico, the British Virgin Islands (Jost Van Dyke) and the U.S. Virgin Islands, w ...
'' Krukoff &
Moldenke Moldenke is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Charles Edward Moldenke (1860–1935), American Egyptologist *Edward Frederick Moldenke Edward Frederick Moldenke (or Moldehnke; 10 August 1836 – 25 June 1904) was a Lutheran the ...
– Cock's-spur, ''espuela de gallo, piñón espinoso'' ( United States Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico) * ''
Erythrina elenae ''Erythrina elenae'' is a species of legume in the family Fabaceae. It is found only in Cuba. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat be ...
'' Howard & Briggs ( Cuba) * ''
Erythrina euodiphylla ''Erythrina euodiphylla'' is a species of legume in the family Fabaceae. It is found only in eastern Java and Bali in Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the In ...
''
Hassk. Justus Carl Hasskarl (6 December 1811 – 5 January 1894) was a German explorer and botanist specializing in Pteridophytes, Bryophytes and Spermatophytes. He was co-founder of the Society of Natural Curiosities of India, in Bavaria and spent his ...
ex Backh.
( Indonesia) * ''
Erythrina falcata ''Erythrina falcata'', commonly known as the Brazilian coral tree, is a timber tree native to Atlantic Forest vegetation in Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. This plant is also used as a medicinal plant and ornamental plant which is attractive to ...
''
Benth. George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...
– Brazilian coral tree (Brazil) * ''
Erythrina flabelliformis ''Erythrina flabelliformis'', common name chilicote or western coral bean, is a plant species native to central and northwestern Mexico and the southwestern United States. It is known from Baja California as far south as Morelos and as far east a ...
'' Kearney * ''
Erythrina fusca ''Erythrina fusca'' is a species of flowering tree in the legume family, Fabaceae. It is known by many common names, including purple coraltree, gallito, bois immortelle, bucayo, and the more ambiguous "bucare" and "coral bean". ''E. fusca'' ...
'' Lour. – Purple coral tree, ''bois immortelle, bucaré anauco, bucayo, gallito'' ( Pantropical) * ''
Erythrina haerdii ''Erythrina haerdii'' is a species of legume in the family Fabaceae. It is found only in Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within t ...
'' Verdc. ( Tanzania) * ''
Erythrina hazomboay ''Erythrina hazomboay'' is a species of legume in the family Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,Madagascar) * ''
Erythrina herbacea ''Erythrina herbacea'', commonly known as the coral bean, Cherokee bean, Mamou plant in South Louisiana, red cardinal or cardinal spear, is a flowering shrub or small tree found throughout the southeastern United States and northeastern Mexico; ...
'' L. – Coral bean, Cherokee bean, red cardinal, cardinal spear ( Southeastern United States, Northeastern Mexico) * ''
Erythrina humeana ''Erythrina humeana'', commonly known as the dwarf coral tree, dwarf erythrina or Natal coral tree, is an ornamental tree native to South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southern ...
''
Spreng. Kurt Polycarp Joachim Sprengel (3 August 1766 – 15 March 1833) was a German botanist and physician who published an influential multivolume history of medicine, ''Versuch einer pragmatischen Geschichte der Arzneikunde'' (1792–99 in four vo ...
– Natal coral tree, dwarf coral tree, dwarf kaffirboom, dwarf erythrina (South Africa) * ''
Erythrina lanceolata ''Erythrina'' is a genus of plants in the pea family, Fabaceae. It contains about 130 species, which are distributed in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. They are trees, with the larger species growing up to in height. The generic na ...
'' Standl. * ''
Erythrina latissima The broad-leaved coral tree (''Erythrina latissima'') is a deciduous tree from southern Africa growing 5 to 8 m tall. It is a member of the Fabaceae and occurs naturally in the Afrotemperate mist-belt of South Africa and Eswatini to the uplands ...
'' E.Mey. * ''
Erythrina lysistemon ''Erythrina lysistemon'' is a species of deciduous tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is native to South Africa. Common names include common coral-tree, lucky bean tree, umsintsi (Xhosa), muvhale (Venda), mophete (Tswana), koraalboom of kann ...
'' Hutch. – Common coral tree, Transvaal kaffirboom, lucky bean tree ( South Africa) * '' Erythrina madagascariensis'' Du Puy & Labat ( Madagascar) * ''
Erythrina megistophylla ''Erythrina megistophylla'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. It is found only in Ecuador. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest Montane ...
'' ( Ecuador) * ''
Erythrina mexicana ''Erythrina'' is a genus of plants in the pea family, Fabaceae. It contains about 130 species, which are distributed in Tropics, tropical and Subtropics, subtropical regions worldwide. They are trees, with the larger species growing up to in h ...
'' ( Mexico) * ''
Erythrina mulungu ''Erythrina mulungu'' (Mulungu) is a Brazilian ornamental tree and medicinal plant native to the ''cerrado'' and ''caatinga'' ecoregions in Brazil, South America. Description This tree reaches up to 15 meters in height. Seeds The red-oran ...
''
Diels Diels is the last name of several people: * Rudolf Diels (1900–1957), German politician * Otto Diels (1876–1954), German scientist noted for his work on the Diels–Alder reaction * Ludwig Diels (1874–1945), German botanist * Hermann Diels ...
Mart. – Mulungu (Brazil) * ''
Erythrina orophila ''Erythrina'' is a genus of plants in the pea family, Fabaceae. It contains about 130 species, which are distributed in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. They are trees, with the larger species growing up to in height. The generi ...
'' Ghesq. * ''
Erythrina perrieri ''Erythrina perrieri'' is a species of legume in the family Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,Erythrina poeppigiana ''Erythrina poeppigiana'', called the mountain immortelle, is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Erythrina'', native to northern and western South America, and introduced to various places in Central America, the Caribbean, Africa, India ...
'' (
Walp. Wilhelm Gerhard Walpers (26 December 1816 in Mühlhausen – 18 June 1853 in Berlin) was a German botanist. This botanist is denoted by the List of botanists by author abbreviation, author abbreviation Walp. when Author citation (botany), citing a ...
) O.F.Cook
– ''bucare ceibo'' * ''
Erythrina polychaeta ''Erythrina polychaeta'' is a species of legume in the family Fabaceae. It is found only in Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. References polychaeta Polychaeta () is a paraphyletic class of ...
'' Harms ( Ecuador) * ''
Erythrina rubrinervia ''Erythrina'' is a genus of plants in the pea family, Fabaceae. It contains about 130 species, which are distributed in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. They are trees, with the larger species growing up to in height. The generic na ...
'' Kunth * ''
Erythrina sacleuxii ''Erythrina sacleuxii'' is a species of legume in the family Fabaceae. It is found in Kenya and Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa wit ...
'' Hua ( Kenya, Tanzania) * '' Erythrina sandwicensis'' O.Deg. – ''Wiliwili'' ( Hawaii) * ''
Erythrina schimpffii ''Erythrina schimpffii'' is a species of legume in the family Fabaceae. It is found only in Ecuador. Its natural habitat is both the subtropical and tropical moist montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The ...
''
Diels Diels is the last name of several people: * Rudolf Diels (1900–1957), German politician * Otto Diels (1876–1954), German scientist noted for his work on the Diels–Alder reaction * Ludwig Diels (1874–1945), German botanist * Hermann Diels ...
( Ecuador) * '' Erythrina schliebenii'' Harms – Lake Latumba Erythrina (Thought to be extinct since 1938, but some individuals, believed to be less than fifty, were recently rediscovered in forest remnants on rocky sites in coastal Tanzania (reported in the UK Guardian newspaper 23 March 2012, from a report in the Journal of East African Natural History.) * ''
Erythrina senegalensis ''Erythrina senegalensis'', the Senegal coraltree, is a plant in the pea family Fabaceae, native to West Africa. Description ''Erythrina senegalensis'' grows as a tree up to tall, rarely to . The bark is fissured. The leaves are composed of thr ...
'' DC. * ''
Erythrina speciosa ''Erythrina speciosa'' is a tree native to Brazil, which is often cultivated and has introduced populations in Africa and India. It is pollinated by hummingbirds. References External links speciosa Taxa named by Henry Cranke Andrews ...
'' Andrews ( Brazil) * '' Erythrina stricta'' Roxb. – Mandara ( Southeast Asia) * ''
Erythrina suberosa ''Erythrina suberosa'', the corky coral tree, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,Erythrina subumbrans'' Miq. * '' Erythrina tahitensis'' Nadeaud ( Tahiti) * ''
Erythrina tholloniana ''Erythrina'' is a genus of plants in the pea family, Fabaceae. It contains about 130 species, which are distributed in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. They are trees, with the larger species growing up to in height. The generi ...
'' Hua (West-Central Tropical Africa) * ''
Erythrina tuxtlana ''Erythrina tuxtlana'' is a species of legume in the family Fabaceae. It is found only in Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to t ...
'' Krukoff & Barneby (Mexico) * '' Erythrina variegata'' L. – Indian coral tree, tiger's claw, sunshine tree, roluos tree (Cambodia), ''deigo'' (Okinawa), ''drala'' (Fiji), ''madar'' (Bangladesh), ''man da ra ba'' (Tibet), ''thong lang'' (Thailand), ''vông nem'' (Vietnam) * ''
Erythrina velutina ''Erythrina velutina'' is a species of leguminous tree. It is indigenous to Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, and Hispaniola and has been introduced to much of the Caribbean, Uganda, and Sri Lanka. It also occurs on the Galápagos Islan ...
'' Willd. (
Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
, South America, Galápagos Islands) * ''
Erythrina vespertilio ''Erythrina vespertilio'' is a tree native to north and north-east Australia. Its common names are grey corkwood, bat's wing coral tree, yulbah and the more ambiguous " bean tree". In the Western Desert language it is also known as ''ininti'' ...
''
Benth. George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...
– Bat's wing coral tree, grey corkwood, "bean tree" (
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
) * ''
Erythrina zeyheri ''Erythrina zeyheri'', commonly known as the ploughbreaker, is a deciduous, geoxylic subshrub and member of the Fabaceae, which is endemic to southern Africa. It grows no more than 60 cm tall and occurs naturally in the higher altitude gr ...
'' Harv. – Ploughbreaker Horticultural
hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...
s: * '' Erythrina ×bidwillii'' Lindl. * '' Erythrina ×sykesii'' Barneby & Krukoff
-->


Formerly placed here

* ''
Butea monosperma ''Butea monosperma'' is a species of '' Butea'' native to tropical and sub-tropical parts of the South Asia and Southeast Asia, ranging across Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysi ...
'' ( Lam.) Taub. (as ''E. monosperma'' Lam.) * ''
Piscidia piscipula ''Piscidia piscipula'', commonly named Florida fishpoison tree, Jamaican dogwood, or fishfuddle, is a medium-sized, deciduous, tropical tree in the Fabaceae family. It is native to the Greater Antilles (except Puerto Rico), extreme southern Flori ...
'' (L.) Sarg (as ''E. piscipula'' L.)


Legal status


United States


Louisiana

Growing, selling or possessing ''Erythrina'' spp. except for
ornamental Ornamental may refer to: *Ornamental grass, a type of grass grown as a decoration *Ornamental iron, mild steel that has been formed into decorative shapes, similar to wrought iron work *Ornamental plant, a plant that is grown for its ornamental qua ...
purposes, is prohibited by
Louisiana State Act 159 Signed into law June 28, 2005, and effective August 8, 2005, Louisiana State Act No 159 found in, Louisiana RS 40:989.1, outlawed the cultivation, possession or sale of 40 named plants defined as hallucinogenic in the state of Louisiana, US. House ...
(where the genus is misspelled ''Erythina''); the Act covers various known, suspected, or rumored hallucinogenic plants.


See also

* Mandarava * Psychedelic plants *
Victor A. Reko Viktor Aloisius Reko, (born 3 August 1880 in Vienna) was an Austrian teacher and scientific author who moved to Mexico in 1921. He is best known for his popular book ''Magische Gifte: Rausch- und Betäubungsmittel der Neuen Welt'' (''"Magic Poisons ...


References


External links


University of Florida−UF Featured Creatures: Moths of ''Erythrina'' plants
— from the UF
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is a teaching, research and Extension scientific organization focused on agriculture and natural resources. It is a partnership of federal, state, and county governmen ...
. {{Taxonbar, from=Q1340386 Fabaceae genera Medicinal plants Ornamental trees Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus