So far this year I've seen a few Coral Trees in partial bloom, but this one is the most advanced I've seen. It is located in a parking lot off Hwy 101 (Pacific Coast Highway) and 2nd Street in Long Beach.
The Latin name is Erythrina x sykesii and it is one of over a hundred species of Erythrina found around the world. In our area the trees grow to 20-30 feet high and half again as wide. They are not very strong, so unless they are trimmed regularly the strong Santa Ana winds will damage them. The growth pattern is quite striking and has always appealed to me.
The flowers are adapted to be pollinated by passerines or hummingbirds.
This pictures shows the buds that have not yet opened.
And here are the leaves. They always remind me of the foliage of French lilacs or, perhaps, aspen leaves.
Below is a tiny URL for a site I dug up on Google that tells a lot about the trees. I was surprised that the different species have different colored flowers - especially those in Hawaii.
http://tinyurl.com/dhr445
2 comments:
What a beautiful variety of tree! I so wish I lived in a more tropical area, so I could grow fun plants year round.
That is a lovely tree. I must check out the address you have given, as it looks similar to one that is here in Australia.
I have put a photo of the pink Oxalis on my latest post. It does not look so bright in the photo, but the plants don't get much sun where they are, so perhaps that is why it appears pale.
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