Erythrina latissima stems

The grey-brown trunk base of Erythrina latissima shows the corky, vertical fissuring that characterises old stems of this tree. Branchlets are woolly with grey-brown hairs and also have prickles.

The bark used to be burnt and powdered for applying as a poultice in dressing of open sores in traditional medicine. The active ingredients, Erythrina alkaloids, have been isolated from several Erythrina species. They are toxic, but their anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and analgesic effects established their usage in ethnic medicine.

The stems are susceptible to fire damage (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Van Wyk and Van Wyk, 1997).