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Southwestern Coral Bean, Colorines

Scientific Name: Erythrina flabelliformis Kearney
Synonym: Erythrina purpusii
Family: Fabaceae

Erythrina flabelliformis at the Huntington Gardens, in mid June

Recommended Temperature Zone:
USDA: 9-11

Sun Exposure: Full sun

Origin: Sonoran desert: USA (southern Arizona, New Mexico), Mexico (Sonora)

Growth Habits: Deciduous shrub, up to 10 feet tall (3 m)

Watering Needs: Little water when established

Propagation: Seeds (nicked and soaked), semi-hardwood cuttings in early summer

The seeds are poisonous. In very small quantity they are hallucinogenic.

Southwestern Coral Bean (Erythrina flabelliformis), U.S.D.A. Drawing, courtesy Hunt Institute

Fruiting Habits:
The pods ripen in the fall. They are 1 foot long (30 cm) and contain coral beans.

List of All the Plants | More in the Fabaceae family

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