| Erythrina afra | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Growth habit of a mature tree | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Genus: | Erythrina |
| Species: | E. afra |
| Binomial name | |
| Erythrina afra | |
 | |
| Erythrina afra distribution Extant (resident) | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
Erythrina afra, thecoastcoral tree orAfrican coral tree (historically also thekaffir tree), is a tree native to southeasternAfrica, which is often cultivated and has introduced populations in California andIndia.[3][4] All the 17 species of coral tree in the genusErythrina are collectively considered the official tree ofLos Angeles, California in theUnited States.[5]
Erythrina afra is a medium to large deciduous tree. It grows in coastal bushes and riverine forests along the southeastern coast ofSouth Africa and up intoZululand.
The compound leaves are made up of three leaflets. Each leaflet is broadly ovate to elliptical. The leaflets do not have prickles and are hairless.
The flowers are made up of a main petal and four small petals. The main petal curves back to expose the stamens. The flower colour is warm red to scarlet. This is one of the main differences betweenErythrina caffra andErythrina lysistemon. The flowers form stalked axillary racemes up to 100mm long.
The bark on the plant or tree is relatively smooth with intermittent thorns, and the thorns tend to be sharper on younger branches.
The original etymology of the species namecaffra is related tokaffir, an ethnic slur used towards black people in Africa. At the July 2024International Botanical Congress, a vote was held with the result that "caffra" related names will be amended toafra related ones, with this being implemented at the end of July 2024.[6]
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