Erythrina berteroana - Pito coral tree
Family:
Native to:
Habitat:
Fabaceae
Southern Central America, the Caribbean, north-western South America.
Wet to dry thickets, thin forest, abundant in hedges. 30-1210 meters above sea level. 10 meter tall tree.
Ecological value:
Fixes atmosphere Nitrogen. Planted for erosion control, and as a windbreak. Attracts pollinators such as hummingbirds and insects. Also grown as an ornamental. Live fence. Long lived.
Material uses:
Seeds used to make jewelry. The bark produces a yellow dye used to dye textiles. Wood is solid and hard, but light, and not particularly strong. Used for carvings or toys and as a substitute for cork. Fuel wood.
Edible uses:
Flowers are cooked and eaten as a form of vegetable. Consuming too much can result to fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. Used as shade tree.
Medicinal use:
Consumed in large quantities the plant acts as a sedation and induces deep sleep. Flowers prepared in tea help with hormonal and menstrual imbalances. It also treats hemorrhages, dysentery, and anxiety.
Other details:
Crushed branches used as fish poison. Mulch from leaves results in better phosphorus balance, higher micro-fauna population and increased crop yield. Most Erythrina species are easy to grown from cuttings. All Erythrina spaces contain amounts of toxic alkaloids, generally found in seeds.
Research:
Jennifer Yaing/Christine Facella
Sources:
“Erythrina Berteroana Urb. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science.” n.d. Plants of the World Online. Accessed November 7, 2023. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:96559-2.
“Erythrina Berteroana - Useful Tropical Plants.” n.d. Tropical.theferns.info. Accessed November 7, 2023. https://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Erythrina+berteroana.
Little E.L. Wadsworth F.H., ‘Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands’, USDA, Forest Service; Washington, 1964
Image source: Forest and Kim Starr