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Erythrina speciosa 'Pink' (Pink Coral Tree) - This is a deciduous small tree or multi-stemmed shrub to about 16 feet tall and typically growing wider that tall with large broad leaves that are hairy when young and narrow pale pink flowers that can appear just about anytime from late winter through fall - flowers in winter and spring often blooming on naked stems much like the Naked Coral Tree, Erythrina coralloides. Plant in full sun with regular to occasional irrigation. It has proven cold hardy to at least 28 F at our nursery.
Erythrina speciosa comes from southeastern Brazil where it is found growing in swampy areas or along watercourses. The species is typically red flowering, but this pink flowering form was growing at the San Diego Zoo and we were given cuttings of it in the late 1980s and we have grown and sold it since the year 2000. To distinguish as different from the red flowering Erythrina speciosa we also grew at that time we just called it 'Pink' but note that there also is the name Erythrina speciosa var. rosea that had been used for a pink flowering variant of the species, though we are not sure these are the same plants. There is a nice specimen tree that was purchased from us in a raised planted at the entrance to the Recreation Department facility building on the University of California Santa Barbara campus.
This information about Erythrina speciosa 'Pink' displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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