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Erythrina berteroana
Erythrina berteroana is a small deciduous tree native to Mexico, Central America and northern South America, grown mainly outdoors in warm, drier lowlands. It is valued for its red flowers, cheap living fence posts and shade, and it grows best in warm, frost-free conditions.
Erythrina berteroana is a species of small deciduous tree in the family Fabaceae. It is found in Mexico, Central America and the northern part of South America. Common names include elequeme, gallito, machete, pernila de casa, pito and poró de cerca. It is a common tree in the drier parts of its range and has many traditional uses.
Erythrina berteroana is native to southern Mexico, Central America, Guatemala and Venezuela. It grows at altitudes of up to 1,800 m (6,000 ft) in areas where the annual precipitation is between 1,500 and 4,000 mm (60 and 160 in). It prefers acidic soils (to pH 4) and tolerates high levels of aluminium in the soil. It flourishes in a range of temperatures and is probably frost resistant.
Probably the most common lowland tree in the drier parts of Central America, it has many uses. The shoots and unopened flowers are cooked as a vegetable, and the young foliage is used as fodder for cattle. Cut branches are thrust into the ground to take root and grow into living fencing posts. The roots have nitrogen-fixing nodules which enrich the soil. The tree provides shade in coffee plantations and is used as living stakes for growing yams and chayote. The leaves make a useful mulch. The bark and seeds contain toxic alkaloids and can be used to prepare a poison. The timber is lightweight and coarse, but can be carved into objects and used like cork. A yellow dye can be extracted from the bark, and the flowers, leaves and bark are used in traditional medicine.
Coral erythrina · Flame coral tree · Cockspur Coral Tree · Basul · Brazilian Coral Tree · Bucayo · Dwarf erythrina · Broad Leaved Coral Tree · Sacred Coral-tree · Mountain immortelle · Erythrina resupinata · Wiliwili
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Erythrina berteroana by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
