Erythrina crista-galli lower branches

The South American tree, Erythrina crista-galli, is small with a spreading, rounded crown. It typically reaches heights between 5 m and 8 m, its trunk about 16 cm in diameter.

The bark is grey-brown and deeply, longitudinally fissured or furrowed. The somewhat crooked branches curve variably, becoming gnarled with age. The tree has a taproot, the roots bearing nodules of nitrogen fixed by bacteria.

The trifoliolate leaves have spines along the leaflet veins and on the long petioles. The young, upper branches are spiny, sometimes dying back seasonally.

The Erythrina genus comprising about 130 flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae, found worldwide in tropical and subtropical regions. The generic name, Erythrina, is derived from the Greek word erythros meaning red, referring to the flower colour of several of the species (www.smgrowers.com; Wikipedia).