#41 Erythrina herbacea Common Names: coral bean, Cherokee bean Family: Fabaceae/Leguminosae (bean Family) Get link to this Profile or click for data record #41

You can't help but notice the coral bean's showy springtime flowers and you can bet that the hummingbirds never fail to notice them either. Click to download a large version (800x600) of this image.

The coralbeans themselves are bright red and held within a black pod - surely some of the showiest seeds I've ever seen! Download a large version (800x600).

Location
Erythrina herbacea is native to hardwood hammocks in the deep southern states of the eastern United States.

Culture
Light: Broken shade is best.
Moisture: Provide adequate moisture but coralbean is somewhat drought tolerant.
Hardiness: USDA Zones 8-10.
Propagation: Seeds.

Coralbean has a showy presence in the garden and the dramatic blossoms are a perennial favorite of hummingbirds.

Features
This legume requires little fertilizer and care once established, and provides a transitory splash of red when used against a backdrop of dark tree trunks in a natural landscape. It provides maximum color while blooming from May to June, and again in autumn when it displays its bright red seeds.

There are hundreds of mostly tropical species in the genus Erythrina. The coral tree or tiger claw, Erythrina variegata is a spectacular tropical tree that is grown in South Florida.

WARNING
Keep this plant away from young children. The shiny bright red seeds are very tempting and very toxic.

Jack Scheper 5/10/97; updated 5/27/04

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