Erythrina crista-galli - Cockspur Coral Tree

Erythrina crista-galli owes its name of coral tree to its spectacular inflorescences of bright red. This somewhat knotty bush with thorny branches and a wide crown has foliage divided like that of acacias, with a shiny blue-green colour, and produces large terminal clusters loaded with beautiful red-orange pea flowers in June-July depending on the climate. While it is the most well-known of the genus, this species is still not widely planted in our gardens. Particularly ornamental and exotic, this plant is relatively hardy due to its roots and can be grown in the ground as a perennial only in mild climates. Gardeners in continental climates will grow it as a greenhouse plant.

Erythrina crista-galli is a small tree or bush of the fabaceae family native to South America, particularly Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. This species, the hardiest of the genus, populates forests along rivers, marshes, and swamps. In its natural environment, the cockspur erythrina forms a tree 4 to 9 m tall, with a thick, knotty trunk and cross-hatched fissured bark. Its branches form a spreading crown with deciduous foliage during the dry season. It is cultivated in temperate climates as an herbaceous plant in the ground, or as a bush in a greenhouse. Its initially erect habit, becomes spreading over the years if it manages to form a small tree.

The coral tree reaches a height of 2 to 4 m (6 ft 7 in to 13 ft 1 in) with a spread of 1 to 2 m (3 ft 4 in to 6 ft 7 in), slightly less if pruned back each year due to frost. It produces long, slender, and thorny shoots. When it forms one or more trunks, they are knotty and covered with a beige bark with some curved thorns. The leaves are deciduous in winter in our latitudes and divided into 3 large leathery, shiny blue-green leaflets. Flowering takes place in late spring in mild climates, and in mid-August if the plant has regrown its branches in spring. At the tips and along this year's branches, clusters over 25 cm (9.8 in) in length form. The pea flowers have a large standard directed downwards. This nectar-rich flowering attracts many pollinating insects. As with most fabaceae, this plant has a powerful taproot capable of fixing nitrogen from the air, which is an adaptation to poor soils.

A spectacular bush, with a somewhat prehistoric appearance, the cock's comb erythrina is sometimes difficult to associate in the garden. In the ground, one could combine the relentless red of its flower clusters with the white flowers of buddleia, gauras, or deutzia. It could also be planted next to the Sophora secundiflora, a curious Texan bush of the fabaceae family producing blue clusters. This bush is not demanding on soil type and easy to grow in a large pot to overwinter in cold regions.