Erythrina humeana in flower

Flowering of Erythrina humeana may be a delightful affair, making its gardener proud of a very good choice and the labour that followed. Clusters of these inflorescences render the shrub (or tree) colourful at bloomtime.

The long, narrow racemes grow at stem tips or from leaf axils. Flowers are produced upon new growth, arriving when leaves have already appeared. An inflorescence may reach 10 cm in length, becoming as long as the bare stalks that support them. 

The short sepals may tend towards orange. The standard petal encloses the stamens. The flowers fade to wine red (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Van Wyk and Van Wyk, 1997; Pooley, 1993).