Spectacular Spikes

Coralbean (Erythrina herbacea) sports striking spikes of tubular scarlet flowers throughout the winter and early spring.  Hummingbirds and long-tongued butterflies nectar on its flowers.

Flowering seems to be earlier on Orchid Island than on the mainland.  This showy native plant is now flowering at the Captain Forster Hammock Preserve (as shown above) and along Highway A1A where native plant communities remain.

Also known as Cherokee bean, this showy native often grows in the midst of saw palmetto (Serenoa repens).  Its leaflets have a distinctive arrowhead shape and are held in groups of three.

New growth is shiny and soft …

Take care when handling this plant, as its is thorny.  Look carefully at the photo above to see the tiny thorns on the new growth

Where temperatures are warmer, coral bean grows into a small tree.  A lichen-festooned trunk is shown below at Captain Forster Hammock Preserve …

Flowering tends to be later at the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area (ORCA), and its growth habit is shrubbier, as shown below along Oslo Road …

Coralbean is a member of the pea family, Fabaceae.  The common name coralbean refers to its coral colored seeds that are held in a long brown pods and are poisonous …

Its fruits are mimetic:  Frugivorous (fruit-eating) birds spread the seeds fooled by their resemblance to juicy red fruits of other plants.

Coralbean sometimes sheds all of its leaves when flowering, especially in stressful locations.  Its stunning spikes of scarlet tubular flowers compensate for its short-lived lack of leaves and can bring beauty to your landscape.