OF THE CAROLINAS & GEORGIA

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



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.

image of Erythrina herbacea, Coral-bean, Cardinal-spear

Manual of the Trees of North America (Exclusive of Mexico) (Sargent, 1905)    mtna_i_660

        

image of Erythrina herbacea, Coral-bean, Cardinal-spear

Keith Bradley    kab_e_herbacea_06161

March    Miami-Dade County    FL

image of Erythrina herbacea, Coral-bean, Cardinal-spear

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).

image of Erythrina herbacea, Coral-bean, Cardinal-spear

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).

image of Erythrina herbacea, Coral-bean, Cardinal-spear

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).


click here to see other plants that look similar to this COMPARE leaves that are trifoliolate and pinnately compound

image of Erythrina herbacea, Coral-bean, Cardinal-spear

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).

image of Erythrina herbacea, Coral-bean, Cardinal-spear

JK Marlow    jkm181110_5791

November    Horry County    SC

Myrtle Beach State Park

image of Erythrina herbacea, Coral-bean, Cardinal-spear

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

 

Find by SCIENTIFIC NAME:

2441

Shrub; Forb
Perennial

Habitat: maritime forests, dry sandy woodlands, hammocks, longleaf pine sandhills, per Weakley's Flora

Native to the Carolinas & Georgia

Uncommon in Coastal Plain of GA & SC, rare in NC

map
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!



 


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