Summary ³

Coral bean is found throughout Florida, and can be found in coastal thickets, hardwood hammocks and along forest edges. It is a shrub that may attain a height of 20 ft. but is often smaller. It rarely exceeds a height of 8 ft. in the northern and central sections of Florida. It may appear vine-like and is frequently multi-stemmed with a woody base and sharp prickly stems. The leaves are compound and composed of three leaflets. They are about 6" to 8" long and alternately arranged. The leaves are dull, yellowish-green, and smooth both above and below and are borne on short stalks, with slightly thickened petiole bases. Leaflet margins are entire, and small, curved spines may also be found on the lower side of leaves. The leaves are heliotropic, which means that they twist and turn to change their orientation to the light, throughout the day. This allows the plants to maximize photosynthesis. Scarlet, very slender, tubular flowers are borne in 2-foot-long terminal racemes that can be enjoyed from April to June. They never fully open, and are attractive to hummingbirds. Many florets develop into a drooping green fruit that is constricted between the seeds. It dries black and splits open in the summer or fall, depending on the time of flowering. The split fruits reveal bright red, poisonous seeds.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Laura Clark, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Laura Clark
2. (c) Javier Alejandro, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/javierahr/22561975396/
3. (c) t_kok, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• eFloras.org
• Flora of North America (beta)
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• SEINet Symbiota portals
• Tropicos
• USDA PLANTS database
• World Flora Online

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