This exotic-looking shrub or tree is grown in tropical and warm regions for its unique branch structure and often astonishingly beautiful flowers. Named for its coral-reef-like architecture, the Coral Tree is an often thorny or spiny plant that can be grown alone or as a hedge. Types that bear flowers on shoots of the current season's growth should be pruned after flowering. Prune types such as Erythrina crista-gali and Erythrina speciosa, which bear flowers on shoots developed the previous year, after the shoots have died. Water sparingly in summer.
Spectacular flowers bloom in a 2-foot-long cluster on long, willowy stalks. It is most floriferous in summer. Be careful of thorns when pruning.