Ajay Kumar at 20:38, 29 August 2023

2023-08-29T20:38:01Z

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{{short description|Genus of plants}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = Coral trees
| image = Starr 050721-7264 Erythrina sandwicensis.jpg
| image_caption = [[Wiliwili]] (''E. sandwicensis'') flowers, Kanaio Beach, [[Maui]], [[Hawaii]]
| taxon = Erythrina
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]] (1753)
| subdivision_ranks = [[Species]]
| subdivision = About 130, see text.
| synonyms =
* ''Chirocalyx'' [[Carl Meissner|Meisn.]] (1843)
* ''Corallodendron'' Mill. (1754)
* ''Duchassaingia'' Walp. (1850)
* ''Erythina'' (''[[lapsus]]'')
* ''Hypaphorus'' Hassk. (1858)
* ''Macrocymbium'' {{small|Walp. (1853)}}
* ''Micropteryx'' Walp. (1851)
* ''Mouricou'' {{small|Adans. (1763)}}
* ''Stenotropis'' {{small|Hassk. (1855)}}
* ''Tetradapa'' Osbeck (1757)
* ''Xyphanthus'' {{small|Raf. (1817)}}
| synonyms_ref = <ref name = powo>[https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30007957-2 ''Erythrina'' L.] ''[[Plants of the World Online]]''. Retrieved 23 August 2023.</ref><ref name="GRIN">{{cite web |url=http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/genus.pl?4442 |title=Genus: ''Erythrina'' L |website=Germplasm Resources Information Network |publisher=United States Department of Agriculture |date=2007-04-01 |access-date=2010-01-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506230501/http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/genus.pl?4442 |archive-date=2009-05-06 }}</ref>
| type_species = ''[[Erythrina corallodendron]]''
| type_species_authority = L.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tropicos.org/Name/40005932 |title=''Erythrina'' L |website=TROPICOS |publisher=Missouri Botanical Garden |access-date=2009-10-24}}</ref>
}}
[[File:Erythrina flabelliformis MHNT.BOT.2009.13.50.jpg|thumb|''Erythrina flabelliformis'' - [[MHNT]]]]

'''''Erythrina''''' {{IPAc-en|ˌ|ɛr|ᵻ|ˈ|θ|r|aɪ|n|ə}}<ref>{{Cite book| title = Sunset Western Garden Book| year = 1995| pages = 606–607}}</ref> is a [[genus]] of plants in the pea family, [[Fabaceae]]. It contains about 130 [[species]], which are distributed in [[Tropics|tropical]] and [[Subtropics|subtropical]] regions worldwide. They are [[tree]]s, with the larger species growing up to {{convert|30|m|ft|abbr=on}} in height. The generic name is derived from the [[Ancient Greek|Greek]] word {{lang|grc|ερυθρóς}} {{transl|grc|erythros}}, meaning "red", referring to the flower color of certain species.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NJ6PyhVuecwC |title=The Names of Plants |first=D. |last=Gledhill |edition=4th |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-86645-3 |year=2008 |page=157}}</ref>

==Names==
Particularly in [[horticulture]], the name '''coral 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 of ''Erythrina'' 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 sea [[coral]] rather than the color of ''[[Corallium 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 a [[rooster|male chicken]]'s [[wattle (anatomy)|wattle]]s, and/or the flower shape to its leg spurs. Commonly seen [[Spanish language|Spanish]] names for any local species are '''''bucaré''''', '''''frejolillo''''' or '''''porotillo''''', and in [[Afrikaans]] some are called '''''kafferboom''''' (from the species name ''Erythrina caffra''). '''''Mullumurikku''''' is a widespread name in [[Kerala]].

==Description and ecology==
[[Image:Asian Pied Starling (Sturnus contra) feeding on Indian Coral Tree (Erythrina variegata) in Kolkata I IMG 4005.jpg|thumb|left|[[Indian pied myna]] (''Gracupica contra'') feeding on Indian coral tree (''[[Erythrina variegata|E. variegata]]'') flowers in [[Kolkata]], India.]]
Not all species of ''Erythrina'' have bright red flowers; the [[Wiliwili]] (''E. sandwicensis'') has extraordinary variation in its flower colour, with orange, yellow, salmon, green and white all being found within natural populations. This striking color [[Polymorphism (biology)|polymorphism]] is also found in ''[[Erythrina lysistemon]]'' and ''[[Erythrina caffra]]''.

All species except the [[Infertility|sterile]] [[hybrid (biology)|hybrids]] [[Erythrina × sykesii|''E.'' × ''sykesii'']] and [[Erythrina × bidwillii|''E.'' × ''bidwillii'']] have [[legume]]-type fruit, sometimes called pods, containing one or more seeds. The resilient [[Buoyancy|buoyant]] seeds are often carried by the sea for large distances and are commonly called "[[Drift seed|sea bean]]s".

''Erythrina'' leaves are used as food plants by the [[larva]]e of some [[Lepidoptera]] species including the [[swift moth]] ''[[Endoclita|Endoclita damor]]'' and the [[Arctiinae (moth)|woolly bears]] ''[[Hypercompe eridanus]]'' and ''[[Hypercompe icasia]]''. The [[mite]] ''[[Tydeus munsteri]]'' is a [[pest (organism)|pest]] on the coastal coral tree (''[[Erythrina caffra|E. caffra]]'').

Many [[bird]]s visit the [[nectar]]-rich ''Erythrina'' flowers. In the [[Neotropical realm|Neotropics]], these are usually larger [[hummingbird]]s, for example the [[swallow-tailed hummingbird]] (''Eupetomena macroura'') and the [[Black-throated mango|black-throated]] (''Anthracothorax nigricollis'') and [[green-breasted mango]]s (''A. prevostii'') – though they seem not to be especially fond of ''[[Erythrina speciosa|E. speciosa]]'' at least, which they visit rather opportunistically. In [[Southeast Asia]], the [[black drongo]] (''Dicrurus macrocercus'') which usually does not eat nectar in quantity has been observed feeding on ''[[Erythrina suberosa|E. suberosa]]'' flowers, and [[myna]]s and of course more specialized [[Nectarivore|nectar feeders]] also utilize coral tree flowers. [[Lorikeet]]s such as the [[collared lory]] (''Phigys solitarius'') and the possibly [[Holocene extinction|extinct]] [[New Caledonian lorikeet]] (''Charmosyna diadema'') are known to consume (or have consumed) large amounts of ''Erythrina'' nectar.

==Use by humans==
Some coral trees are used widely in the [[tropics]] and [[subtropics]] as street and park trees, especially in drier areas. In some places, such as [[Venezuela]], ''bucaré''s are used as [[shade tree]]s for [[Shade-grown coffee|coffee]] or [[Cocoa bean|cocoa]] crops. In the [[Bengal]] region, they are used for the same purpose in ''[[Schumannianthus dichotoma]]'' plantations. ''[[Erythrina lanceolata|E. lanceolata]]'' in particular is considered highly suitable as "frame" tree for [[vanilla]] [[vine]]s to grow up on.

[[Native Hawaiians]] made a number of items from ''[[wiliwili]]'' wood because of its low density, such as ''mouo'' ([[fishing net]] floats), ''[[Ama (sailing)|ama]]'' ([[outrigger canoe]] floats,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ntbg.org/plants/plant_details.php?plantid=4906 |title=''Erythrina sandwicensis'' (Fabaceae) |work=Meet the Plants |publisher=[[National Tropical Botanical Garden]] |access-date=2009-01-31}}</ref> and extremely long ''papa he{{okina}}e nalu'' ([[surfboard]]s) called ''olo''. ''Olo'', which averaged {{convert|18|ft|m}}, were exclusively ridden by ''[[Ali'i|ali{{okina}}i]]'' (royalty).<ref>{{cite book |author1=Ben Marcos |author2=Juliana Morais |author3=Jeff Divine |author4=Gary Linden |name-list-style=amp|title=The Surfboard: Art, Style, Stoke |year=2007 |publisher=MBI Publishing Company |isbn=978-0-7603-2753-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HGN2uGL_Y-cC |pages=17–19}}</ref> The wood was sometimes used for the ''[[Vaka (sailing)|wa{{okina}}a]]'' (hull) of outrigger canoes intended to be used near-shore, for recreation, or for training.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.hear.org/naturalareas/auwahi/ethnobotany_of_auwahi.pdf |title=Auwahi: Ethnobotany of a Hawaiian Dryland Forest |author1=A.C. Medeiros C.F. Davenport |author2=C.G. Chimera |name-list-style=amp|publisher=Cooperative National Park Resources Studies Unit, [[University of Hawaii at Manoa|University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa]] |year=1998 |pages=38–39}}</ref> The shiny orange-red [[seed]]s were strung into ''[[Lei (Hawaii)|lei]]''.<ref name="CFTH">{{cite web|url=https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/gsp/doc/Forestry/Little_Skolmen_CFT/CFT_Erythrina_sandwicensis.pdf|title=Wiliwili|author1=Elbert L. Little, Jr.|author2=Roger G. Skolmen|year=1989|work=Common Forest Trees of Hawaii|publisher=[[United States Forest Service]]|access-date=2009-11-21|name-list-style=amp}}</ref>

The conspicuous, even dramatic coral trees are widely used as [[floral emblem]]s. cockspur coral tree (''[[Erythrina crista-galli|E. crista-galli]]'') is the national flower of [[Argentina]] and [[Uruguay]]. The coastal coral tree (''[[Erythrina caffra|E. caffra]]'') is the official city tree of [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], where it is referred to simply as the "coral tree".<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MkArAAAAYAAJ |title=Tropical Legumes: Resources for the Future |author=((Advisory Committee on Technology Innovation, Board on Science and Technology for International Development, Commission on International Relations, National Research Council)) |publisher=National Academy of Sciences |year=1979 |page=258}}</ref> The state trees of [[Mérida (state)|Mérida]] and [[Trujillo (state)|Trujillo]] in [[Venezuela]] are ''bucaré ceibo'' (''[[Erythrina poeppigiana|E. poeppigiana]]'') and purple coral tree (''bucaré anauco, [[Erythrina fusca|E. fusca]]''), respectively. [[Yonabaru, Okinawa]] as well as the [[Okinawa Prefecture]], [[Quanzhou, Fujian Province]] and [[Pathum Thani Province]] have the Indian coral tree (''[[Erythrina variegata|E. variegata]]'') as floral emblems. Known as ''thong lang'' in [[Thailand]], the latter species is also one of the ''thong'' ("trees") referred to in the name of [[Amphoe Chom Thong, Chiang Mai Province]]. In a similar vein, [[Zumpahuacán]] in [[Mexico]] derives its name from [[Nahuatl]] ''tzompahuacá'', "place of the ''[[Erythrina americana]]''". In [[Vietnam]], people use the leaves of ''E. variegata'' to wrap ''nem'' (a kind of fermented pork).

In [[Hinduism]], the ''mandara'' tree in [[Indra]]'s garden in [[Svarga]] is held to be ''[[Erythrina stricta|E. stricta]]''. The same motif is found in [[Tibetan Buddhism]], where the ''man da ra ba'' growing in [[Sukhavati]] is identified as an Indian coral tree (''E. variegata''). The concept of the [[Five Trees]] of [[Paradise]] is also found in Christian [[Gnosticism]]. Though as none of the trees is identified as an ''Erythrina'' here, the concept might not be as directly related to the Asian religions as some presume.

[[Image:Erythravine.png|thumb|right|[[Erythravine]] is [[tetrahydroisoquinoline]] [[alkaloid]] from ''[[Erythrina mulungu]]'', studied for possible [[anxiolytic]] properties.]]
The seeds of at least one-third of the species contain potent [[erythrina alkaloid]]s, and some of these are used for medicinal and other purposes by indigenous peoples.{{Citation needed|date=October 2011}} They are all toxic to some degree, however, and the seeds of some can cause fatal poisoning.{{Citation needed|date=October 2011}} The chemical compounds found in plants in this genus include [[alkaloid]]s such as [[scoulerine]], [[erysodin]], [[erysovin]] (namely in ''[[Erythrina flabelliformis|E. flabelliformis]]''), and the putative [[anxiolytic]] [[erythravine]] (isolated from [[Erythrina mulungu|Mulungu]], ''E. mulungu''). [[Erysodienone]] is a precursor in the [[biosynthesis]] of many of these alkaloids.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Rahman|first1=Mohammed Zakiur|last2=J Sultana|first2=Shirin|last3=Faruquee|first3=Chowdhury|last4=Ferdous|first4=Faisol|last5=Rahman|first5=Mohammad|last6=S Islam|first6=Mohammad|last7=Rashid|first7=Mohammad A.|date=May 2007|title=Phytochemical and Biological investigations of Erythrina variegata|url=http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/hisham/Documents/SPJ/150207.pdf|journal=Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal|volume=15}}</ref>

===As food===
Root tubers of ''Erythrina'' species have been traditional food for [[Aboriginal Australians|aborigines]] of the [[Northern Territory]] of Australia.<ref name=NTflora> NTFlora Northern Territory Flora online: [http://eflora.nt.gov.au/viewfile?file_id=1707 ''Flora of the Darwin Region: Fabaceae.''] Retrieved 10 June 2018</ref>

==Selected species==
[[Image:Funchal - Erythrina abyssinica (Korallenbaum) IMG 2097.JPG|right|thumb|''[[Erythrina abyssinica]]'' in flower, [[Funchal]] (Madeira)]]
[[Image:Erythrina speciosa flower.JPG|right|thumb|''[[Erythrina speciosa]]'' [[inflorescence]]s, [[Brazil]]]]
[[Image:Erythrina zeyheri 01 ies.jpg|right|thumb|''[[Erythrina zeyheri]]'' leaflets]]
[[Image:ErythrinaXsykesii.JPG|right|thumb|''[[Erythrina ×sykesii]]'' in flower, [[Auckland]], New Zealand]]
[[Image:Erythrina species 'Croftby'.jpg|right|thumb|[[Bark (botany)|Bark]] of ''Erythrina'' species 'Croftby', [[Australia]]]]

* ''[[Erythrina abyssinica]]'' [[Jean-Baptiste Lamarck|Lam.]] ex [[Augustin Pyramus de Candolle|DC.]] ([[East Africa]])
* ''[[Erythrina acanthocarpa]]''
* ''[[Erythrina americana]]'' [[Philip Miller|Mill.]] – ''Colorín'',<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.tlahui.com/medic/medic20/colorin.htm |title=Zompantle o colorín (''Erythrina americana'' Miller) |journal=Tratado de Medicina Tradicional Mexicana Tomo II: Bases Teóricas, Clínica y Terapéutica |issue=20 |year=2005 |access-date=2009-10-24}}</ref> ''Tzompāmitl''<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s4LURGT0h2AC |first=Frances |last=Karttunen |author-link=Frances Karttunen|title=An Analytical Dictionary of Nahuatl |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |isbn=978-0-8061-2421-6 |year=1992 |page=316}}</ref> ([[Mexico]])
* ''[[Erythrina ankaranensis]]'' Du Puy & Labat ([[Madagascar]])
* ''[[Erythrina atitlanensis]]'' Krukoff & [[Rupert Charles Barneby|Barneby]]
* ''[[Erythrina berteroana]]'' [[Ignatz Urban|Urb.]]
* ''[[Erythrina burana]]'' [[Emilio Chiovenda|Chiov.]] ([[Ethiopia]])
* ''[[Erythrina caffra]]'' [[Carl Peter Thunberg|Thunb.]] – Coastal coral tree (Southeastern Africa)
* ''[[Erythrina corallodendron]]'' L. ([[Hispaniola]], [[Jamaica]])
* ''[[Erythrina coralloides]]'' [[A. P. de Candolle|D.C.]] – Flame coral tree, naked coral tree ([[Arizona]] in the [[United States]], [[Mexico]])
* ''[[Erythrina crista-galli]]'' L. – Cockspur coral tree, ''ceibo, seíbo, bucaré'' ([[Argentina]], [[Uruguay]], [[Brazil]], [[Paraguay]])
* ''[[Erythrina decora]]'' Harms
* ''[[Erythrina edulis]]'' [[Marc Micheli|Micheli]] – Basul ([[Andes]])
* ''[[Erythrina eggersii]]'' [[Krukoff]] & [[Harold Norman Modenke|Moldenke]] – Cock's-spur, ''espuela de gallo, piñón espinoso'' ([[United States Virgin Islands]], [[Puerto Rico]])
* ''[[Erythrina elenae]]'' Howard & Briggs ([[Cuba]])
* ''[[Erythrina euodiphylla]]'' [[Justus Carl Hasskarl|Hassk.]] ex Backh. ([[Indonesia]])
* ''[[Erythrina falcata]]'' [[George Bentham|Benth.]] – Brazilian coral tree (Brazil)
* ''[[Erythrina flabelliformis]]'' Kearney
* ''[[Erythrina fusca]]'' [[João de Loureiro|Lour.]] – Purple coral tree, ''bois immortelle, bucaré anauco, bucayo, gallito'' ([[Pantropical]])
* ''[[Erythrina haerdii]]'' [[Bernard Verdcourt|Verdc.]] ([[Tanzania]])
* ''[[Erythrina hazomboay]]'' Du Puy & Labat ([[Madagascar]])
* ''[[Erythrina herbacea]]'' L. – Coral bean, Cherokee bean, red cardinal, cardinal spear ([[Southeastern United States]], Northeastern [[Mexico]])
* ''[[Erythrina humeana]]'' [[Curt Polycarp Joachim Sprengel|Spreng.]] – Natal coral tree, dwarf coral tree, dwarf kaffirboom, dwarf erythrina (South Africa)
* ''[[Erythrina lanceolata]]'' Standl.
* ''[[Erythrina latissima]]'' E.Mey.
* ''[[Erythrina lysistemon]]'' [[John Hutchinson (botanist)|Hutch.]] – Common coral tree, Transvaal kaffirboom, lucky bean tree ([[South Africa]])
* ''[[Erythrina madagascariensis]]'' Du Puy & Labat ([[Madagascar]])
* ''[[Erythrina megistophylla]]'' ([[Ecuador]])
* ''[[Erythrina mexicana]]'' ([[Mexico]])
* ''[[Erythrina mulungu]]'' [[Friedrich Ludwig Emil Diels|Diels]] Mart. – Mulungu (Brazil)
* ''[[Erythrina orophila]]'' [[Jean Hector Paul Auguste Ghesquière|Ghesq.]]
* ''[[Erythrina perrieri]]'' R.Viguier (Madagascar)
* ''[[Erythrina poeppigiana]]'' ([[Wilhelm Gerhard Walpers|Walp.]]) [[Orator F. Cook|O.F.Cook]] – ''bucare ceibo''
* ''[[Erythrina polychaeta]]'' [[Hermann Harms|Harms]] ([[Ecuador]])
* ''[[Erythrina rubrinervia]]'' [[Carl Sigismund Kunth|Kunth]]
* ''[[Erythrina sacleuxii]]'' Hua ([[Kenya]], Tanzania)
* ''[[Wiliwili|Erythrina sandwicensis]]'' [[Otto Degener|O.Deg.]] – ''Wiliwili'' ([[Hawaii]])
* ''[[Erythrina schimpffii]]'' [[Friedrich Ludwig Emil Diels|Diels]] ([[Ecuador]])
* ''[[Erythrina schliebenii]]'' [[Hermann Harms|Harms]] – Lake Latumba Erythrina (Thought to be extinct since 1938, but some individuals, believed to be less than fifty, were recently rediscovered in forest remnants on rocky sites in coastal Tanzania (reported in the UK Guardian newspaper 23 March 2012, from a report in the Journal of East African Natural History.)
* ''[[Erythrina senegalensis]]'' DC.
* ''[[Erythrina speciosa]]'' Andrews ([[Brazil]])
* ''[[Erythrina stricta]]'' Roxb. – Mandara ([[Southeast Asia]])
* ''[[Erythrina suberosa]]'' Roxb.
* ''[[Erythrina subumbrans]]'' Miq.
* ''[[Erythrina tahitensis]]'' Nadeaud ([[Tahiti]])
* ''[[Erythrina tholloniana]]'' Hua (West-Central Tropical Africa)
* ''[[Erythrina tuxtlana]]'' Krukoff & Barneby (Mexico)
* ''[[Erythrina variegata]]'' L. – Indian coral tree, tiger's claw, sunshine tree, roluos tree (Cambodia), ''deigo'' (Okinawa), ''drala'' (Fiji), ''madar'' (Bangladesh), ''man da ra ba'' (Tibet), ''thong lang'' (Thailand), ''vông nem'' (Vietnam)
* ''[[Erythrina velutina]]'' Willd. ([[Caribbean]], [[South America]], [[Galápagos Islands]])
* ''[[Erythrina vespertilio]]'' [[George Bentham|Benth.]] – Bat's wing coral tree, grey corkwood, "bean tree" ([[Australia]])
* ''[[Erythrina zeyheri]]'' Harv. – Ploughbreaker

'''[[Horticulture|Horticultural]] [[hybrid (biology)|hybrid]]s:'''
* ''[[Erythrina ×bidwillii]]'' [[John Lindley|Lindl.]]
* ''[[Erythrina ×sykesii]]'' Barneby & Krukoff

=== Formerly placed here ===
* ''[[Butea monosperma]]'' ([[Jean-Baptiste Lamarck|Lam.]]) Taub. (as ''E. monosperma'' Lam.)
* ''[[Piscidia piscipula]]'' (L.) Sarg (as ''E. piscipula'' L.)<ref name="GRINSpecies">{{cite web |url=http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?4442 |title=GRIN Species Records of ''Erythrina'' |website=Germplasm Resources Information Network |publisher=United States Department of Agriculture |access-date=2010-10-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081015000615/http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?4442 |archive-date=2008-10-15 }}</ref>

==Legal status==

===United States===

====Louisiana====
Growing, selling or possessing '''''Erythrina'' spp.''' except for [[ornamental plant|ornamental]] purposes, is prohibited by [[Louisiana State Act 159]] (where the genus is misspelled ''Erythina''); the Act covers various known, suspected, or rumored hallucinogenic plants.

== See also ==
* [[Mandarava]]
* [[Psychedelic plants]]
* [[Victor A. Reko]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/shrubs/erythrina_moths.htm University of Florida−UF Featured Creatures: Moths of ''Erythrina'' plants] — from the UF [[Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences]].

{{Taxonbar|from=Q1340386}}

[[Category:Erythrina| ]]
[[Category:Fabaceae genera]]
[[Category:Medicinal plants]]
[[Category:Ornamental trees]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]

Erythrina - Revision history

Ajay Kumar at 20:38, 29 August 2023