| Erythrina crista-galli | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Flowers | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Genus: | Erythrina |
| Species: | E. crista-galli |
| Binomial name | |
| Erythrina crista-galli | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
List
| |
Erythrina crista-galli, also known as thecockspur coral tree,ceibo (in Spanish) orcorticeira (in Portuguese), is a species of floweringtree in the familyFabaceae, native to Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, southern Brazil and Paraguay. It is widely planted as a street or garden tree in other countries, notably inCalifornia. Itsspecific epithetcrista-galli means "cock's comb" in Latin.
It is thenational tree of Argentina, and its flower thenational flower of Argentina and Uruguay.
Erythrina crista-galli is a small tree, the girth of its trunk measuring 50 cm (20 in). Normally it grows 5–8 m (16–26 ft) tall, although some individuals, such as in the Argentine provinces ofSalta,Jujuy andTucumán, can grow up to 10 m (33 ft). The woody trunk of the tree is equipped with irregular andthorny branches and can reach 50 cm in circumference.
Theroot is ataproot withnodules produced bynitrogen-fixing bacteria. The bacteria live insymbiosis with the tree, facilitating the tree's absorption of nitrogen in return for organic substances which the bacteria need. The tree's trunk is woody with irregular, spiny branches. These branches form a layer without definite form[3] and die after flowering.
The redflower, arranged ininflorescences of theraceme type, is pentameric, complete, and of bilateral symmetry. Itscalyx isgamosepalous, like a little red thimble. The corolla, like that of otherlegumes likecommon beans, is butterfly-shaped; however, the largest petal, called the "standard", is arranged in the lower part. The two of the petals called "wings" are so small that they are practically hidden within the calyx. The remaining two petals partially fuse together on occasion and form the flower's keel or "carina"; this protects its reproductive organs. Theandroecium consists of tenstamens, one free and nine united by their filaments (gynostemial androecium). The unicarpel gynoecium is welded between the stamens like a knife in its sheath.
The tree flowers in the summer, from October to April in their native South America and from April to October in the northern hemisphere.
The flowers are rich innectar and are visited byinsects, which usually have to crawl underneath the carina and thuspollinate the flowers.
The tree's fruit is alegume, a dry pod a few centimeters in length derived from a singlecarpel and contains about 8–10 chestnut-brown bean-shaped seeds. The cotyledons arehypogeal, staying underground upon germination.
In cultivation in the United Kingdom this plant has gained theRoyal Horticultural Society'sAward of Garden Merit.[4][5] In urban settings, it is often planted in parks for its bright red flowers.
It is distributed throughout northeastern and central western Argentina, easternBolivia,southern Brazil, much ofParaguay, and almost all of Uruguay. It lives in low, flood-prone places, and along the watercourses of theChaco and the Eastern Region. It does not inhabit high forests or dry places without floods, as it tolerates water-saturated soils very well.
This species characteristically grows wild ingallery forest ecosystems along watercourses, as well as in swamps and wetlands.
It hasdyeing and medicinal applications: its bark is used to treatrheumatism wounds and serves as adiureticantispasmodic; itsresin can cure intestinal diseases; Its leaves containcamphor, that helps wound healing and hasanti-inflammatory properties for tumors.[6]
Media related toErythrina crista-galli at Wikimedia Commons
