Coral Tree

Did you know

• The 'cockspur coral tree' is the national flower of both Argentina and Uruguay—chosen for the brilliant red blooms that recall the sun's flag-rays of the Argentine standard.
• The flowers are unusually shaped like a chicken's spur, hanging in long racemes—pollinated by birds rather than insects, with built-in perches for small Andean hummingbirds.
• All parts of the plant contain alkaloids called erythrine, which Indigenous peoples once used as a hunting paralytic, similar to curare.
• Despite its tree-like crown, Erythrina is a legume—it fixes nitrogen in the soil through root nodules, enriching pasture land beneath it.
• After the Falklands War, Argentina chose ceibo (the local name) as a symbol of resilience because the tree resprouts vigorously from charred stumps after grass fires.

Color meanings

Uses

• Specimen tree
• Coastal gardens
• National symbol
• Pollinator habitat