Erythrina is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae. It contains about 130 species, which are distributed in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. They are shrubs or trees, growing up to 30m in height. They are popular bonsai subjects and are popular choices for bird gardeners. The generic name is derived from the Greek word erythros, meaning red, referring to the flower colour of certain species. Particularly in horticulture, the name coral tree is used as a collective term for these plants. “Flame trees” is another vernacular name, but may refer to a number of unrelated plants as well. Many species of Erythrina have bright red flowers, and this may be the origin of the common name.

Erythrina humeana, commonly known as dwarf coral tree is a perfect tree or flowering shrub for the small garden, especially for people who love the scarlet flowers of the common coral tree (Erythrina lysistemon) but don’t have the space for a large tree. Its small dimensions make it ideally suited to high density housing complexes where garden space is limited. It produces an impressive display of scarlet red flowers en-masse, which is a favourite with many different birds who enjoy the nectar. Almost as though it was designed for the garden, the dwarf coral tree produces its flowers just at window height which allows you to do your bird watching from the comfort of your favourite sofa. Similar to the ploughbreaker (Erythrina zeyheri) and the rare tamboekie doring (Erythrina acanthocarpa), the dwarf coral tree is cold hardy and frost tolerant by going into winter dormancy and simply re-sprouting from the large swollen tuberous roots or caudex as soon as spring arrives. The dwarf coral tree is easy to grow and is very drought tolerant. It thrives under normal garden conditions providing it gets full sun and doesn’t have wet feet. This species is very well suited to pot culture.