Coral bean

Coral bean at Lovers Key

Coral bean Erythrina herbacea

The coral bean belongs to the Fabaceae family.



The coral bean is a deciduous shrub which can grow up to twenty feet. It has small compact green leaves with three leaflets which can grow to eight inches. There are prickles and spines on the under side of the leaves and the stem. Dark pink flowers blooms April until June and are long, thin tubes (two inches). The flowers are located at the tip of the stem Many birds are drawn to the colourful pink flowers, the hummingbird is an example. 

The plant likes direct sun but they can survive with periods without direct sunlight. The soil needs to fertile.

The fruits are pods and hang of the branches contain deep pink seeds and these fall in the Autumn. 

The beans are a laxatives but they can also be used to kill rats and fish.

Floridata.com, (2015). Floridata: Erythrina herbacea. [online] Available at: http://www.floridata.com/ref/E/erythrin.cfm [Accessed 13 Apr. 2015].

Gilman, E. (2015). FPS197/FP197: Erythrina herbacea Coral Bean, Cardinal Spear. [online] Edis.ifas.ufl.edu. Available at: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fp197 [Accessed 13 Apr. 2015].