Coral Bean Tree, Coral tree, West Indian Coral Tree,
Hebrew: אלמוגן רחב-עלים, Arabic: مرجان عريض الاوراق
| Scientific name: | Erythrina corallodendron L. | |
| Synonym name: | Erythrina corallodendrum L. | |
| Common name: | Coral Bean Tree, Coral tree, West Indian Coral Tree | |
| Hebrew name: | אלמוגן רחב-עלים | |
| Arabic/الاسم العربي: | مرجان عريض الاوراق | |
| Español: | Erythrina corallodendron | |
| 中文-Chinese: | 龍牙花 | |
| Family: | Fabaceae / Papilionaceae, פרפרניים |
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| Life form: | Small tree or shrub | |
| Stems: | 8-10m high; twigs, moderately stout, light brown, strong, conspicuous hooked prickles (resemble a cat claw), lighter raised lenticels; buds small sitting above shallow U-shaped leaf scar; bark, smooth light brown, developing shallow fissures with darker brown ridges giving the bark a striped pattern | |
| Leaves: | Alternate, tri-foliate compound, 12 to 20 cm long, each leaflet nearly heart-shaped (5 to 8 cm long and wide), margins entire, petiole has hooked prickles, green above and below. | |
| Inflorescence: | In long, dense, terminal clusters up to 25cm | |
| Flowers: | Attractive, deep red, each flower is tubular, 2.5-5cm long, appearing in late spring and continuing to the fall. | |
| Fruits / pods: | Sterile hybrid so no fruit is generally formed. Other members of the genus produce a long, leathery twisted, contorted pod. | |
| Flowering Period: | March | |
| Chorotype: | South America | |
| Summer shedding: | Perennating |
Derivation of the botanical name: Erythrina, Coral tree, Greek erythros, red, an allusion to the color of the flower. corallodendron, Greek, corallion, coral; dendron, tree; specific name of the coral-tree.
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