Tiger's Claw, Coral Tree

Tree, about 14 ft tall, with beautiful brilliant red flowers.

Erythrina fusca (synonym: Erythrina glauca), of family Faboideae, called Coral Tree, Tiger's Claw, Cape Kaffirboom, Gallito, Coral Bean, Bois Immortelle, Bucayo, Erythrina, Purple Coral Tree, Swamp Immortelle, Indian Coral Tree. Erythrina comes from the Greek word ‘eruthros’ - red, alluding to the showy red flowers of the Erythrina species. The specific name, ‘fusca’, is a Latin word for tawny or brownish-grey.

The leaves are alternate, compound, with three leaflets, and the base of the petiole is swollen and cylindrical. Young leaves are eaten. Flowers are large and have a claw-like shape. Erythrina fusca has a great color variation from red to red-orange to orange, but the most common is the red. The inflorescence is much more elongated than E. caffra (which has mostly orange flowers).