Caribbean coral bush

Seeds: 6  / Botanical name: Erythrina crista-galli

A sea of ​​flames from June to September

Argentina's national plant is easily grown in containers, typically reaching an ideal pot height of 1.5 meters, and unfolds a sea of ​​fiery red, butterfly-shaped flowers from June to September. Over the years, it develops a short, thick trunk with long, elegant, and often thorny branches. At their tips are racemes up to 25 centimeters long, bearing numerous flowers up to 5 centimeters wide. In autumn, the shoots shed their leaves and die back considerably, allowing them to be cut back severely like a perennial. The botanical name is derived from the cockscomb-like flower: erythros (Greek for red) and crista-galli (Latin for cockscomb). Caution: All parts of the plant are poisonous.

Natural habitat: The coral bush is native to Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Argentina. There, it often grows in gallery forests along riverbanks. It is now cultivated worldwide as an ornamental plant.