Erythrina abyssinica

Erythrina abyssinica, the red-hot-poker coral-tree, is not South African, but grows from Zimbabwe northwards, as far as Ethiopia, the latter country recognised in the specific epithet. (Not too many trees sport three hyphens in their common names.) E. abyssinica therefore does not have a number on the SA Trees List, but is number 363 on the Zimbabwean List.

The small to medium-sized, deciduous tree branches to form a rounded, spreading crown from 5 m to 10 m in height. The leaves have the Erythrina trifoliolate structure, their leaflets almost as broad as they are long. The leaflet apices are usually rounded, in the photo also tapering or faintly notched. The leaflet base tapers broadly, but may also be almost square or flat, perpendicular to the petiole.

The terminal leaflet is largest, measuring 5,5 cm to 14 cm by 6 cm to 14 cm. The smaller lateral ones have oblique shapes, sometimes obscurely lobed.

Young leaves are densely woolly; most of the hairiness later lost. The midrib and lateral veins are prominent upon the lower leaflet surfaces, while still conspicuous and almost white above. The ascending lateral veins and midrib sometimes have scattered prickles upon the lower leaflet surfaces.

The leaf petioles are quite long, the petiolules short; all of them also sometimes carrying scattered prickles. Two glands, stipels, are present at the point of leaf attachment on the stem; there are also stipules at the petiole base, but they drop off early.

The tree is found in savannah, woodland and on rocky slopes (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Van Wyk and Van Wyk, 1997; www.zimbabweflora.co.zw).