PlantFiles: Bat's Wing Coral Tree, Batwing Coral Tree, Bean Tree
Erythrina vespertilio

My seedling is only few months old, but during transplant to a larger pot an underground caudex was found. So surprising!
Seeds of this Erythrina have a very hard coating, so they need scarification for faster germination (these are the hardest Erythrina seeds together with Erythrina flabelliformis).

Rating it neutral, as I do not actually grow this plant. There is a specimen at the Fort Bend Co., TX coop. extension office (z9a) planted in partial shade, very close to a walkway. I believe the plant grew too big for its location but too established to be transplanted, so it was severely pruned instead.

Erythrina vespertilio is a small, straggly tree, 20-25 ft tall, with thorns on the trunk and branches. The bark is creamy-grey, deeply furrowed and corky. Leaves are bifoliolate or trifoliolate, resembling a bat's open wings. The plant is deciduous. It has scarlet to orange-red pea flowers borne in terminal racemes. The seeds are orange to dark yellow, bean-like.

The species will grow in a wide range of soils as long as drainage is good and it has plenty of sun. Propagation is from seed or cuttings. Generally no seed treatment is required but light scarification may assist germination.