MELBOURNE STREET TREES 12

Erythrina crista-galli is a flowering tree in the family Fabaceae, native to Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay. It is widely planted as a street or garden tree in other countries, most notably in the United States, Australia and South Africa. It is known by several common names within South America: Ceibo, seíbo (Spanish), corticeira (Portuguese) and the more ambiguous bucaré, to name a few. In English it is often known as the Cockspur Coral Tree. The ceibo is the national tree of Argentina, and its flower the national flower of Argentina and Uruguay. This species characteristically grows wild in gallery forest ecosystems along watercourses, as well as in swamps and wetlands.

In urban settings, it is often planted in parks for its highly decorative, bright red flowers. Even in the temperate climate of Melbourne the tree does very well and is a feature of many parks, gardens and nature strips along streets. The flowers will produce patterned bean-like seeds in pods.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.