| Coral trees | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Wiliwili (E. sandwicensis) flowers, Kanaio Beach,Maui,Hawaii | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Tribe: | Phaseoleae |
| Genus: | Erythrina L. (1753) |
| Type species | |
| Erythrina corallodendron L.[1] | |
| Species | |
About 130, see text. | |
| Synonyms[2][3] | |
Erythrina/ˌɛrɪˈθraɪnə/[4] is agenus of plants in the pea family,Fabaceae. It contains about 130species, which are distributed intropical andsubtropical regions worldwide. They aretrees, with the larger species growing up to 30 m (98 ft) in height. These species are known for their large flowers with long and bright red or orange petals.[5]
The generic name is derived from theGreek wordερυθρóςerythros, meaning "red", referring to the flower color of certain species.[6]
Particularly inhorticulture, the namecoral 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 ofErythrina 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 seacoral rather than the color ofCorallium rubrum 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 amale chicken'swattles, and/or the flower shape to its leg spurs. Commonly seenSpanish names for any local species arebucaré,frejolillo orporotillo, and inAfrikaans some are calledkafferboom (from the species nameErythrina caffra).Mullumurikku is a widespread name inKerala.
_feeding_on_Indian_Coral_Tree_(Erythrina_variegata)_in_Kolkata_I_IMG_4005.jpg)
A flower of most knownErythrina species is made of long top petals that fold into a boat or spade shape and curve backwards from the stem while the bottom petals enclose its stamens; both together make almost a butterfly shape.[7][8] Not all of them flower in just bright red; thewiliwili (E. sandwicensis) has extraordinary variation in its flower colour, with orange, yellow, salmon, green and white all being found within natural populations. This striking colorpolymorphism is also found inErythrina lysistemon andErythrina afra.
All species except thesterilehybridsE. ×sykesii andE. ×bidwillii havelegume-type fruit, sometimes called pods, containing one or more seeds. The resilientbuoyant seeds are often carried by the sea for large distances and are commonly called "sea beans".
Erythrina leaves are used as food plants by thelarvae of someLepidoptera species including theswift mothEndoclita damor and thewoolly bearsHypercompe eridanus andHypercompe icasia. ThemiteTydeus munsteri is apest on the coastal coral tree (E. afra).
Manybirds visit thenectar-richErythrina flowers. In theNeotropics, these are usually largerhummingbirds, for example theswallow-tailed hummingbird (Eupetomena macroura) and theblack-throated (Anthracothorax nigricollis) andgreen-breasted mangos (A. prevostii) – though they seem not to be especially fond ofE. speciosa at least, which they visit rather opportunistically. InSoutheast Asia, theblack drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus) which usually does not eat nectar in quantity has been observed feeding onE. suberosa flowers, andmynas and of course more specializednectar feeders also utilize coral tree flowers.Lorikeets such as thecollared lory (Phigys solitarius) and the possiblyextinctNew Caledonian lorikeet (Charmosyna diadema) are known to consume (or have consumed) large amounts ofErythrina nectar.
Some coral trees are used widely in thetropics andsubtropics as street and park trees, especially in drier areas. In some places, such asVenezuela,bucarés are used asshade trees forcoffee orcocoa crops. In theBengal region, they are used for the same purpose inSchumannianthus dichotoma plantations.E. lanceolata in particular is considered highly suitable as "frame" tree forvanillavines to grow up on.
Native Hawaiians made a number of items fromwiliwili wood because of its low density, such asmouo (fishing net floats),ama (outrigger canoe floats,[9] and extremely longpapa heʻe nalu (surfboards) calledolo.Olo, which averaged 18 feet (5.5 m), were exclusively ridden byaliʻi (royalty).[10] The wood was sometimes used for thewaʻa (hull) of outrigger canoes intended to be used near-shore, for recreation, or for training.[11] The shiny orange-redseeds were strung intolei.[12]
The conspicuous, even dramatic coral trees are widely used asfloral emblems. cockspur coral tree (E. crista-galli) is the national flower ofArgentina andUruguay. The coastal coral tree (E. afra) is the official city tree ofLos Angeles,California, where it is referred to simply as the "coral tree".[13] The state trees ofMérida andTrujillo inVenezuela arebucaré ceibo (E. poeppigiana) and purple coral tree (bucaré anauco,E. fusca), respectively.Yonabaru, Okinawa as well as theOkinawa Prefecture,Quanzhou,Fujian Province andPathum Thani Province have the Indian coral tree (E. variegata) as floral emblems. Known asthong lang inThailand, the latter species is also one of thethong ("trees") referred to in the name ofAmphoe Chom Thong, Chiang Mai Province. In a similar vein,Zumpahuacán inMexico derives its name fromNahuatltzompahuacá, "place of theErythrina americana".
InHinduism, themandāra tree inIndra's garden inSvarga is held to beE. stricta. The same motif is found inIndo-Tibetan Buddhism, where the mandāravā (Tib.man dā ra ba) growing inSukhāvatī is identified as an Indian coral tree (E. variegata). The concept of theFive Trees ofParadise is also found in ChristianGnosticism. Though as none of the trees is identified as anErythrina 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 potenterythrina alkaloids, and some of these are used for medicinal and other purposes by indigenous peoples.[14][15][16] They are all toxic to some degree, however, and the seeds of some can cause fatal poisoning.[citation needed] The chemical compounds found in plants in this genus includealkaloids such asscoulerine,erysodin,erysovin (namely inE. flabelliformis), and the putativeanxiolyticerythravine (isolated fromMulungu,E. mulungu).Erysodienone is a precursor in thebiosynthesis of many of these alkaloids.[17]
Root tubers ofErythrina species have been traditional food foraborigines of theNorthern Territory of Australia.[18]
InVietnam, people use the leaves ofE. variegata to wrapnem chua (a kind of fermented pork wrapped in banana leaves).
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Growing, selling or possessingErythrina spp. except forornamental purposes, is prohibited byLouisiana State Act 159 (where the genus is misspelledErythina); the Act covers various known, suspected, or rumored hallucinogenic plants.
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