Coral Bean

Did you know

• The brilliant red seeds are strikingly beautiful but contain the alkaloid erythroidine, making them highly toxic.
• Hummingbirds are the primary pollinators, as the narrow tubular flowers exclude most insects.
• Native Americans used the seeds as decorative beads and the root bark as a fish poison for catching fish in streams.
• In northern parts of its range, the plant dies back to the ground in winter and resprouts from the roots each spring.
• The genus name Erythrina comes from the Greek 'erythros' meaning red, describing the flowers and seeds.

Color meanings

Uses

• ornamental
• wildlife gardens
• traditional crafts