PlantFiles: Naked Coral Tree
Erythrina coralloides

Erythrina coralloides is growing in Fremont, Ca. and was planted 2 years ago. This tree has had no additional water this year. It is growing with great vigor, but has not bloomed yet.

There is also a variant of this tree called Erythrina coralloides 'bicolor'. It has both red and white blooms on the same plant. Some bloom spikes are all red, some are all white, and some are red & white. Quite spectacular.

I consider this tree one of the nicest trees in the world.
I love it - it is like having three or four spectacular trees at a single spot:
April/May - Most fascinating - fantastic coral red flowers are stunning on an otherwise naked tree (still leafless in April)
Summer - Tree covered with lush large bright green leaves
Fall - Interesteing change to yellow fall leaves
Winter - Tree is quite naked and shows its dramatic yellowish brown trunk and branches. You can help to form its dramatic shape by pruning at this sime.
Just be careful, branches have sharp hooks/spikes.

Ours grows in Zone 9/10, our soil is alkaline but it is possible that our backyard has received a load of neutral garden soil when the house was originally built.

lower growing tree with pine-cone shaped bright red flowers . Though sparsely spread along branches, this tree has nasty hooked spines that will rip your flesh off when you walk by it. Trunk is made or extremely hard wood and also has knobby, sparse spines.

One of the few native Coral Trees to the US, this one occurs in the deserts of southern Arizona... though it is primarily found in Mexico.