Agroforestree Database

Local names:
 Afrikaans (kuskoraalboom,koraalboom,Cape kafferboom), English (lucky bean,kaffir broom,coral tree,coast erythrina), Xhosa (umSintsi), Zulu (umSintsi)

Erythrina caffra is 9-12 (max. 21) m tall; trunk and branches grey, sometimes set with short, sharp prickles.

Leaves trifoliolate, the terminal leaf being the largest, borne on long stalks, which sometimes have a few, short prickles; leaflets broadly ovate to elliptic, 8-16 x 8-18 cm, lateral leaflets slightly smaller, on short stalks, without hairs or spines; apex tapering; base tapering; base of lateral leaflets asymmetric; margin entire; leaflets resemble those of E. lysistemon and when the tree is not in flower, it is difficult to tell them apart.

The flowers, which are produced before the leaves, are borne in large clusters at the end of the thick stalks. They are orange-scarlet with a tinge of terra cotta or are cream. They have short, broad, standard petals, the lower half of which curves upward to expose the stamens, and these give the flower (botanical racemes) a bewhiskered appearance.

The pods are narrow, cylindrical, dark, up to 6.5 cm long, deeply constricted between the seeds, with the constrictions often long and narrow and without hairs. The pods split to show small, shiny, coral-red seeds, marked on 1 side with a black spot. On weathering, the seeds are inclined to loose their brilliancy to become a rich red-brown.

Erythrina comes from the Greek word ‘eruthros’-red, alluding to the showy red flowers of the Erythrina species and caffra from ‘Kaffaria’ (Eastern Cape, South Africa).

Ecology

E. caffra is a tree of coastal districts. In South Africa it occurs from Port Shepstone to the Humansdorp District, the wild tree seen furthest from the coast being about 53 km inland in Albany District. It appears in the north in the Hlabisa and Lake Sibayi areas in Zululand. It is a tree of the wooded stream banks. It is fairly drought resistant and will stand several degrees of frost. Where frosts are heavy, it may grow but will not flower well.

Native range
Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland

Tree management

The tree is fast growing. If used for fencing, it should be pruned once a year during the dry season to promote the production of woody biomass for use as new posts. Two prunings a year are recommended to produce palatable stems and leaves for animal fodder. More frequent pruning results in low biomass production and rapid mortality.

Seed storage behaviour is orthodox. Before seeds are stored they should be sun dried for 1 day after residues of the pod have been removed. They can be stored for several years, retaining a high percentage of viability. Storage should be in tightly closed containers, in a cool, dry place. For long-term storage, seeds should be kept in a low-temperature seed-storage facility (approximately 5 deg. C and 30-40% r.h.), and those damaged by insects and disease should be discarded.

E. caffra is a tree of coastal districts. In South Africa it occurs from Port Shepstone to the Humansdorp District, the wild tree seen furthest from the coast being about 53 km inland in Albany District. It appears in the north in the Hlabisa and Lake Sibayi areas in Zululand. It is a tree of the wooded stream banks. It is fairly drought resistant and will stand several degrees of frost. Where frosts are heavy, it may grow but will not flower well.

E. caffra is easy to propagate as it grows from seed, cuttings or truncheons. Vegetative propagation is normally from stakes more than 1.5 m long. These are cut at the end of the dry season or the beginning of the rains. They quickly shoot up, and have been known to flower in less than a year. The seeds should be inoculated with nitrogen-fixing Rhizobium bacteria that form nodules in their roots. This is done after pretreatment, immediately before planting. Nursery-grown plants are ready for planting in the field when they are 20-30 cm tall. They can be established either by planting directly from plastic bags or by removing them from nursery beds and planting as bare-root stock. In the latter case, all the leaves should be removed before planting.

Poison:  The seeds are said to be poisonous.

Erosion control:  The trees can be used in soil conservation.

E. caffra becomes increasingly important as a protein supplement (for example the palatable stems) during the dry periods when pasture grasses are scarce and of low nutritive value.

The tree is a good source of firewood.

Timber:   The wood is white or grey blue and is very soft, light and spongy. It is used in making canoes, troughs, floats and fishing nets; when tarred, it makes good roofing shingles.

Nitrogen fixing:  E. caffra fixes atmospheric nitrogen.

Ornamental:  The species is a valuable garden tree in the tropics and subtropics.

The trees are used to make live fences around homes, water sources and crops to protect them from livestock.

Soil improver:  E. caffra trees usually drop their leaves during the dry periods, and these act as a mulch.