Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Fabales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Erythrina herbacea
FAMILY
Fabaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more about Coral-bean from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
INCLUDED WITHIN
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Erythrina herbacea
FAMILY
Fabaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Erythrina herbacea
INCLUDED WITHIN Native & naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the US (Isely, 1998)
Erythrina herbacea
INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 098-40-001:
Erythrina herbacea FAMILY Fabaceae
INCLUDING Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Erythrina arborea
INCLUDING & INCLUDED WITHIN Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Erythrina herbacea
COMMON NAME:
Coral-bean, Cardinal-spear
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Manual of the Trees of North America (Exclusive of Mexico) (Sargent, 1905) mtna_i_660
)
Keith Bradley kab_e_herbacea_06161
March Miami-Dade County FL
)
Keith Bradley kab_e_herbacea_07108
March Miami-Dade County FL
Flowers 1-4" long, tubular, borne perpendicular to axis of the erect stem, per Atlantic Coastal Plain Wildflowers (Nelson, 2006).
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmeherbacea_home1
April Anderson County SC
An erect, prickly, multistemmed, predominantly herbaceous perennial to 4.5', per Atlantic Coastal Plain Wildflowers (Nelson, 2006).
)
JK Marlow jkm090516_076
May Charleston County SC
The 3 leaflets are hastate to widely deltate, occasionally prickly beneath, per Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999).
COMPARE
leaves that are trifoliolate and pinnately compound
)
Jerry Bright jeb_072608_164
July Berkeley-Charleston Counties SC
Francis Marion National Forest
Legume severely constricted between bright red seeds, splitting at maturity, per Atlantic Coastal Plain Wildflowers (Nelson, 2006).
)
JK Marlow jkm181110_5791
November Horry County SC
Myrtle Beach State Park
)
JK Marlow jkm181110_5792
November Horry County SC
Myrtle Beach State Park
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Erythrina herbacea
FAMILY
Fabaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Erythrina herbacea
FAMILY
Fabaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Erythrina herbacea
INCLUDED WITHIN
Native & naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the US (Isely, 1998)
Erythrina herbacea
INCLUDED WITHIN
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 098-40-001:
Erythrina herbacea
FAMILY
Fabaceae
INCLUDING
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Erythrina arborea
INCLUDING & INCLUDED WITHIN
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Erythrina herbacea
2441
Shrub; Forb
Perennial
Habitat: maritime forests, dry sandy woodlands, hammocks, longleaf pine sandhills, sandy coastal scrub (TX), per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Uncommon in Coastal Plain of GA & SC, rare in NC
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
IS THE PLANT "ARMED"?
Stems armed with many small prickles along the internodes OR unarmed
LEAVES:
Deciduous
Odd-pinnately compound: 3 leaflets
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Red
Bilaterally symmetrical
2-lipped campanulate calyx
5-parted corolla, papilionaceous? but standard folded, flower appearing tubular
10 stamens, diadelphous, 9 and 1
Superior ovary
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Legume
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Wildflowers (Nelson, 2006) p210
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p353
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p505
- Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants p092
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p337
- Wildflowers of the Carolina Lowcountry (Porcher, 1995) p090
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p039
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p193
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p134
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