Erythrina lysistemon
15 seeds
Coral tree
Erythrina lysistemon is a
lovely, small to medium-sized, deciduous tree with a spreading crown
and brilliant red flowers. It is a handsome tree at any time of the
year, and its dazzling flowers have made it one of the best known and
widely grown South African trees.
This is a stocky, thickset tree that often branches low down and
usually grows up to 10 m in height, occasionally reaching 12 m. The
bark is smooth and dark gray to gray-brown and is not thickly corky.
Short, hooked prickles are sparsely and randomly scattered on the
trunk and branches.
The flowers are a beautiful clear
scarlet and are carried in short, dense heads, about 9 cm long, on
long, thick stalks. The standard petal (the large uppermost petal) is
long and narrow and encloses the other petals and the stamens. The
flowers produce abundant nectar that attracts many nectar-feeding
birds and insects, which attract the insect-feeding birds as well.
The fruit is a slender, black pod that can be 15 cm long and is
sharply constricted between the seeds. The pod splits while still
attached to the tree to release bright red 'lucky bean' seeds.
Erythrina lysistemon is not
just a decorative tree, it is also an important component of the
ecosystem, providing food and shelter for a variety of birds, animals
and insects. Many birds and insects feed on the nectar. Vervet
monkeys eat the flower buds. Kudu, klipspringer, black rhino and
baboons graze on the leaves. Black rhinos, elephants and baboons eat
the bark. Bush pigs eat the roots, and the brown-headed parrot eats
and disperses the seed. Birds such as barbets and woodpeckers nest in
the trunks of dead trees, and swarms of bees often inhabit hollow
trunks.
Erythrina lysistemon is a
fast-growing, undemanding tree. It does best in fertile, well-aerated
and well-drained soils. It is fairly drought-tolerant, but performs
better if given water during summer. It is sensitive to cold and
grows best in frost free gardens, but will survive in regions with a
winter minimum of -7 to -1 °C/20 to 30°F (zone 9) provided it is
planted in a sheltered position, and protected from frost when young.
Erythrina lysistemon is easily
propagated from seed, cuttings and truncheons. Seed is sown in spring
and summer, in a well-drained, general-purpose potting soil, placed
in a warm but shaded spot and kept moist. Soaking the seed overnight
in warm (not hot) water is not necessary for germination to occur,
but should hurry things along. Dusting the seed prior to sowing, or
drenching after sowing, with a fungicide that combats pre-emergence
damping off, although not essential, will increase the percentage
germination. Cuttings are best taken in spring to summer, and
truncheons in late winter to spring.
