Coral Bean

Erythrina herbacea

Size: 1 & 3 Gallon Availability

Shrub
Max size: 6’ tall x 5’ wide
Average size: 5′ tall x 4′ wide

Usually Moist, Moist to Dry, Very Dry
Loam, Sand
Sun, Part Shade, Shade
Tolerant of high amounts of salt spray

AKA: Cardinal-spear, Cherokee-bean, Red Cardinal, Cry-baby Tree

This deciduous shrub blooms in the spring with red flowers. It has small thorns and dense foliage that provide refuge for small birds and animals, but almost mean that you should use gloves when pruning. The fruits and seeds are red or brown and persist through winter, but are poisonous to humans. The long, tubular flowers attract hummingbirds and other long-tongued pollinators.

The young flowers can be eaten cooked like string beans or used fresh in salads, the young leaves can also be cooked and eaten. The wood is soft and light; its is used for corks, carvings of saints, masks, and similar items. The bark can be used to make a yellow dye.