Erythrina crysta-galli L.

 Erythrina crista-galli Tree

(Hidayat & Abdurrahman, 2017)

 Leaves of Erythrina crista-galli

(Hidayat & Abdurrahman, 2017)

Flower of Erythrina crista-galli

(Hidayat & Abdurrahman, 2017)

Regnum               : Plantae – Plants

Subregnum          : Tracheobionta – Vascular plants

Divisio                 : Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants

Subclassis            : Rosidae

Classis                  : Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons

Ordo                     : Fabales

Familia                 : Fabaceae – Pea family

Genus                   : Erythrina

Species                 : Erythrina crista-galli  L.

Description

This species is is most often naturalised along waterways, in swamps and wetlands, and in urban bushland. It is a potential weed of wetter temperate, sub-tropical and tropical environments. It is growth better in subtropical regions, in more tropical climates it grows better at higher elevations Requires a sunny position Found in the wild in very moist and marshy soils, it also succeeds in dry soils. A form called 'Compacta' is said to flower more freely than the type. Young plants grow away moderately well, reaching a height of 2.5 metres within 2 years. Plants take 3 - 4 years to flower from seed Plants are difficult to establish, taking some years to flower All species in this genus are believed to be self compatible. Their flowers are adapted to pollination by birds, though various insects can also cause fertilization. The various species of Erythrina can all, as far as is known, be intercrossed to produce fertile hybrids. Those species most closely related to each other cross fairly readily, but even species that are quite distant can hybridize (Useful Tropical Plant, 2014)

The older stems are brown or greyish in colour and have moderately rough bark.

Younger stems are greenish , shiny, and hairless. The stems and leaf stalks (i.e. petioles) are sparsely covered with sharp thorns or prickles that are occasionally hooked (i.e. recurved). The alternately arranged leaves are borne on stalks (i.e. petioles) 5-10 cm long and are made up of three leaflets (i.e. they are trifoliate). These leaflets (3-6 cm  long and 2-5 cm wide) are egg-shaped in outline (i.e. ovate) or oval (i.e. elliptic) in shape. They are hairless (i.e. glabrous), with entire margins and pointed tips (i.e. acute apices). The two side (i.e. lateral) leaflets are borne on thin stalks (i.e. petiolules) that are 5-10 mm long, while the end (i.e. terminal) leaflet has a stalk (i.e. petiolule) that is significantly longer (i.e. 30-40 mm long) (Weed of Australia, 2016).

The flowers are scarlet red to dark red in colour and pea-shaped in appearance (4-5 cm long). They are borne in large, loose, elongated clusters (8-30 cm long) at the tips of the branches (i.e. in terminal racemes), with each cluster usually having 20-40 flowers. The largest and uppermost petal of each flower (i.e. the standard) is bent upwards or backwards (i.e. recurved) when the flowers are fully open. Flowers also have two inconspicuous side petals (i.e. the laterals or wings), that are about 10 mm long, and a folded lower petal (i.e. keel) about 3-3.5 cm long (which is actually derived from two petals that are fused together along the fold). These flowers also have five sepals that are fused into a tube (i.e. calyx tube) about 10 mm long, and ten long stamens. The stalks (i.e. filaments) of nine of these stamens are fused together into a tube, while the other stames is entirely separate (i.e. the stamens are diadelphous). The ovary is very elongated in shape and is topped with a style and a small stigma. Flowering occurs mostly during spring and early summer (Weed of Australia, 2016).

The fruit are large elongated pods (8-22 cm long) that turn from green to dark brown or blackish in colour as they mature. These pods are sometimes somewhat curved (i.e. falcate) and gradually taper to a pointed tip (i.e. acute apex). They contain several seeds, with slight constrictions between each of the seeds, but are otherwise cylindrical in shape. The large and hard seeds (about 10-15 mm long) are slightly kidney-shaped (i.e. reniform), dark brown or blackish in colour, and often with a somewhat mottled appearance (Weed of Australia, 2016). 

Cockspur coral tree (Erythrina crista-galli) is an emerging environmental weed.  In its native Argentina, cockspur coral tree (Erythrina crista-galli) is reported to form pure stands on the periodically flooded shores and islands in the Plate River estuary. Therefore, it may have the potential to form such stands in low-lying wetland areas and floodplains in the tropical, sub-tropical and warmer temperate coastal regions of Australia (Weed of Australia, 2016). The corky bark on the trunk makes this tree a good support for epiphytic plants. Most Erythrina species are very easy to grow from cuttings, with even quite large branches striking well. In addition, they generally fix atmospheric nitrogen, have nutrient-rich leaves that make an excellent soil-enriching mulch, often have open crowns that do not overly restrict light, and are also often quite thorny and can provide impenetrable barriers to protect from unwelcome intrusions. Many species are therefore used as living fences to provide boundaries and livestock-proof hedges (Useful Tropical Plant, 2014).

Location : Villa Isola, Bumi Siliwangi Stadium

Please cite this article as:

Azis, A. M. (2019). UPI Seed Plants: Erythrina crista-galli  L. Online at
https://upiseedplants-one-aldi.blogspot.com/. Accessed (Date)