Erythrina caffra
Mandela's coral tree · also South African coral tree, Coast coral tree, Cape sword flower
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Erythrina afra is valued for its colorful, long-lasting, showy red-orange blooms that attract nectar-feeding pollinators. It has spreading, low-forming branches, often with short thorns, and its red seeds are dispersed by birds. This tree is commonly cultivated due to its hardiness to drought and poor soils, but it requires significant space for its spreading canopy and does not tolerate cold conditions.
Where it grows
Trees in each city's inventory, with the share of that city's named trees this species accounts for.
- 5650.12%35 yr9.0 in
- 20.00%—28 in
Traits
- Form
- Spreading
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Mature height
- 20–40 ft
- Canopy spread
- 40–60 ft
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Water needs
- Moderate
- Drought tolerance
- Moderate
- Wildlife value
- High
- Tolerates
- coastal, salt
- Blooms
- Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Dec
Trunk diameters across every city: median 9.0 in, mean 14 in, 90th percentile 30 in. Measured at breast height, as published by each inventory.
Other Erythrina in the catalogue
8 of the top 2,000 species are in this genus.
