Kloof Conservancy BioGuide - Common Coral Tree
SA Tree Number 245
The bark is smooth and dark gray to gray-brown and is not thickly corky. Short, hooked prickles are sparsely and randomly scattered on the trunk and branches. The leaves are trifoliolate (compound leaves with 3 leaflets), and each leaflet is large, usually up to 17 x 18 cm.
Erythrina lysistemon is not just a decorative tree, it is also an important component of the ecosystem, providing food and shelter for a variety of birds, animals and insects. Many birds and insects feed on the nectar. Vervet monkeys eat the flower buds. Bush pigs eat the roots, and birds such as barbets and woodpeckers nest in the trunks of dead trees, and swarms of bees often inhabit hollow trunks.
Quite common in the Kloof area where one can also find a number of other Erythrina species such as the Dwarf Coral Tree (Erythrina humeana) and the Broad-leaf Coral Tree (Erythrina latissima)
They have been regarded as royal trees, and were planted on the graves of Zulu chiefs. They were planted as living fences around kraals, homesteads and waterholes, and were one of the first wild trees to be planted in gardens in South Africa.
The genus name Erythrina comes from the Greek erythros meaning red, both the flowers and the seeds are bright red.
Ubude Kuyaku 10m
Conservation Isimo Asinakho ukusabisa.
Erythrina Lysistemom isihlahla esithandekayo, esincane kuya kokulingene ngesilinganiso, esilahla amaqabunga ebusika nokusaphaza ingcongco kanye nezimbali ezinhle ezibovu. Isihlahla esibukekayo ngasosonke isikhathi sonyaka, futhi izimbali zaso ziyacwazimula esisenza sibe ngesinye esaziwa kangcono futhi sisabalale ngokukhula nase-ningizimu Afrika.
Amaxolo asulekile futhi aphaphatheke ngokumpunga nokunsundu futhi ukhokho aluminyene. Ameva amafishane ayingwegwe futhi ayingcosana kanti asabalala ngokunga cabangi ogodweni kanye nasemagatsheni. Amaqabunga axuba amalifulethe angu 3 (trifoliolate), kanti lilinye ilifulethe likhulu, livame ukufinyelela ku 17 x 18 cm.
Erythrina lysistem enzeka ekuhlelekeni okusabalele bobude bokuphakama kanye nesikhungo kusuka ku-North West Province, Limpopo (ebiyaziwa nge-Northern Province), Gauteng, Mpumalanga, kuyongena e-Swaziland na-KwaZulu-Natal, kuye ezansi ngako Mbashe River Mouth e-Eastern Cape. Ekujuleni nenyakatho e-Zimbabwe, Botswana, nase-Angola enzeka ephaketheni elincane. Ikhula kumahlathi akhuhlu, kuzihosha zehlathi, kuzingodo ezomile, emathafeni omile, ukwehla okumagquma kanye nehlanze elisegqumeni nga sogwini nasezindaweni ezinemvula enkulu.
Imbali zinhle ngokucacile ngokubovu futhi zigaxele, ngobufishane nokucinana kwamakhanda kungu 9cm ubude, izingono ezikhuluphele. Isigcebe sembali esilingene (esikhulu phezulu nesigcebe) side futhi siminyene kanti sivala ezinye izigcebe nakwistemeni. Lezimbali zikhiqiza amanzi amtoti asezimbalini axhaphakile adonsa izinyoni ezidla amanektha kanye nezilokazane, eziheha izinyoni ezidla izilokazane ngokunjalo.
Isithelo sizacile, sinomdumba omnyama ongaba u, 15 cm ubude kanti kunokushwaqisa okubukhali phakathi kwezimpande. Umdumba uhlukanisaka kanti futhi usanamathele esihlahleni ukudedela izimpande ezibovu ngokukhanyayo, umbona wenhlanhla.
Erythrina Lysistem awusiso nje isihlanhla sokunlobisa, sibuye sibe ingxube esemqoka kwezokwelapha. Nikezela ukudla nompheme kuzinhlobo zezinyoni, izilwane kanye nezilokazane. Izinyoni eziningi nezinambuzane zidla kumanektha. Uhlobo lwenkawu zidla umqumbe wezimbali. Izingulube zamahlanze zidla izimpande, kanye nezinyoni ezinjengalenhlobo yenyoni edla izithelo. Kanye nezidleke zeziqophamithi kuzigodozezihlahla ezifile, iqulu lezinyosi ngokuvama lihlala kwigobongo logodo.
Zandile endaweni yase Kloof lapho omunye engathola inombolo yamanye izinhlobo ze-Erythrina njenge-Dwarf Coral Tree (Erythrina Humeana) kanye ne-Broad Leaf Coral Tree (Erythrina Latissima)
Bezihlonishwa njengezi hlahla zase bukhosini, kanti bezitshalwa emalibeni amakhosi akwa Zulu. Bezitshalwa njengezibiyele izibaya, amakhaya kanye nezindawo zamanzi, futhi zazingezokuqala zezihlahla ukutshalwa ezingadini zase Mzansi Afrika uhlobo legama Erythrina livela kwi-Erythros yama-Greek okuchaza okubovu, kokubili izimbali nelimpande ezibovu ngokugqamile.