Home | > | List of cultivated families | > | Fabaceae subfamily Papilionoideae | > | Erythrina | > | abyssinica |
Synonyms: |
Erythrina tomentosa R.Br. ex A. Rich. |
Common names: | Lucky-bean tree (English) Munhimbiti (Shona) Mutete (Shona) Mutiti (Shona) Mutsiti (Shona) Red-hot-poker tree (English) Umgqogqogqo (Ndebele) |
Description: | Small to medium sized tree of wooded grassland, open woodland and rocky hillsides. The typically rounded crown is usually leafless at the time of flowering. Leaves 3-foliolate with leaflets almost as broad as long, hairy when young and sometimes with scattered prickles on the underside of the veins. Flowers in spectacular terminal racemes, scarlet-red. Fruit a woody pod, strongly constricted between the seeds. |
Notes: | The seeds are often used to make necklaces. They contain a poison which can be lethal if injected into the bloodstream but it has no effect if they are swallowed as a whole. |
Derivation of specific name: | abyssinica: of Abyssinia (Ethiopia) |
Flowering time: | Jul - Oct |
Worldwide distribution: | DRC, Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
Growth form(s): | Tree. |
Insects associated with this species: | Agathodes musivalis (Larval foodplant) |
Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
Image last updated: | Sunday 6 August 2006 |
Literature: |
Bingham, M.G. (2011). Erythrina in Zambia Black Lechwe 18(1) Pages 19 - 20. (Includes a picture). Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 161. (Includes a picture). Burrows, J.E., Burrows, S.M., Lötter, M.C. & Schmidt, E. (2018). Trees and Shrubs Mozambique Publishing Print Matters (Pty), Cape Town. Page 302. (Includes a picture). Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 25. Coates Palgrave, K. et al. (1956). Trees of Central Africa National Publications Trust, Salisbury. Pages 317 - 320. (Includes a picture). Coates Palgrave, M. (1989). Guide to the trees and shrubs of the Mukuvisi Woodlands ?publisher. Page 34. Drummond, R.B. (1972). A list of Rhodesian Legumes. Kirkia 8(2) Page 220. Drummond, R.B. (1975). A list of trees, shrubs and woody climbers indigenous or naturalised in Rhodesia. Kirkia 10(1) Page 247. Drummond, R.B. (1981). Common Trees of the Central Watershed Woodlands of Zimbabwe. Natural Resources Board, Harare. Pages 98 - 99. (Includes a picture). Mackinder, B. et al. (2001). Papilionoideae Flora Zambesiaca 3(5) Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 48. Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 66. Strugnell, A.M. (2006). A Checklist of the Spermatophytes of Mount Mulanje, Malawi Scripta Botanica Belgica 34 National Botanic Garden of Belgium Page 99. |
Home | > | List of cultivated families | > | Fabaceae subfamily Papilionoideae | > | Erythrina | > | abyssinica |