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Erythrina crista-galli
Also called Crybabytree, Cockspur Coraltree, Cry Baby Tree, Brazilian Coral Tree
A flowering tree of the pea family, widely grown for its bright red spikes of flowers, and the national tree of Argentina. It grows best in full sun with plenty of moisture, and it can be invasive in some areas.
Erythrina crista-galli, also known as the cockspur coral tree, ceibo (in Spanish) or corticeira (in Portuguese), is a species of flowering tree in the family Fabaceae, native to Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, southern Brazil and Paraguay. It is widely planted as a street or garden tree in other countries, notably in California. Its specific epithet crista-galli means "cock's comb" in Latin.
It is the national tree of Argentina, and its flower the national flower of Argentina and Uruguay.
In cultivation in the United Kingdom this plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. In urban settings, it is often planted in parks for its bright red flowers.
It is distributed throughout northeastern and central western Argentina, eastern Bolivia, southern Brazil, much of Paraguay, and almost all of Uruguay. It lives in low, flood-prone places, and along the watercourses of the Chaco and the Eastern Region. It does not inhabit high forests or dry places without floods, as it tolerates water-saturated soils very well.
It has dyeing and medicinal applications: its bark is used to treat rheumatism wounds and serves as a diuretic antispasmodic; its resin can cure intestinal diseases; Its leaves contain camphor, that helps wound healing and has anti-inflammatory properties for tumors.
Machete · Coral erythrina · Flame 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 crista-galli 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.
