Tree of the Week: The naked coral

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Pieter Severynen’s Tree of the Week is always a welcome interlude here, but especially so this long holiday weekend.

The naked coral tree –- Erythrina coralloides

‘The naked coral tree is a stunning sight several times during the year. In late spring fiery scarlet-red, fist-size flower clusters unfold at the end of the bare branches. They stay for weeks, resembling fireworks frozen in action. Three-part leaves, eight to 10 inches long, follow, green in summer, turning yellow in fall, to reveal a living sculpture of mustard-brown, twisted and gnarled branches. The garden variety ‘bicolor’ is particularly interesting; it sports red, white, and mixed color flower clusters on the same tree.

‘Given full sun and moderate water, the tree grows at a moderately slow pace to become more or less round-headed, 30 feet tall by 30 feet wide. It is wise to plant the tree a little bit away from foot traffic, so that it may be admired but not touched. Beautiful as the tree is, thorns on branches and leaves can be vicious; the shiny red seeds are poisonous and the wood is brittle.

‘Erythrinas are a cosmopolitan group with colorful flowers. The naked coral tree is from Mexico, but the other 115 Erythrina species come from tropical and subtropical areas in Africa, Central America, Australia, southern Asia, the East Indies and Hawaii. They learned to travel widely because the seeds can float in seawater for up to a year.

‘Pea-like blossoms in various modified forms characterize the pea family, Fabaceae (formerly Leguminosae). Within the Erythrina genus of the family, flowers have evolved in two directions, depending on which bird does the pollinating. In the Old World, where the pollinator is a passerine bird with a short bill, the flowers are short and wide. They have a gaping corolla with the keel and wing parts widely separated so that the bird can stick its head and breast in the flower, get dusted with pollen and fly off to pollinate the next flower. But here in the New World, hummingbirds with long bills pollinate most species, even if unwittingly. As a result the flowers have grown a long tubular corolla for the bird to stick its bill in, while the keel and wing parts are small. But the stamens are equally well positioned to dust the hummingbird with pollen. As an added inducement, the nectar in the tube became very sweet in order to satisfy the high energy requirements of the hummingbirds.’

Thanks, as always, Pieter.
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Photo Credit: Pieter Severynen