Common Name:

General Information

Erythrina addisoniae is a tree that can grow from 12 - 21 metres tall. The bole can be up to 70cm in diameter[], or up to 180cm in diameter[], with a thick, rough bark and corky spines[, ].
The tree is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of wood. It is planted as an ornamental[].

Known Hazards

All Erythrina species contain greater or lesser amounts of toxic alkaloids - these can be found in all parts of the plant but are usually most concentrated in the seeds. Concentrations vary from species to species, in some it is low enough that the plant is safely used as a food. In many, the alkaloids are utilized for their medicinal effects. We have no specific information on the concentration of the alkaloids in this species, but care should be exercised in any use of the plant that involves ingestion. These alkaloids have a curare-like action (obtained from Strychnos species) and can cause paralysis and even death by respiratory failure[, ].

Botanical References

Range

West tropical Africa - Sierra Leone to Nigeria, ?Congo.

Habitat

Drier parts of closed rain-forest; at elevations from 300 - 700 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	16.00 m
Pollinators	Birds, Bees
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Erythrina species are tolerant of a range of soils, often tolerating poor fertility, but generally grow best in a sunny position in a moderately fertile, well-drained soil[].
All species in this genus are believed to be self-compatible. Their flowers are adapted to pollination by birds, though various insects can also cause fertilization. The various species of Erythrina can all, as far as is known, be intercrossed to produce fertile hybrids. Those species most closely related to each other cross fairly readily, but even species that are quite distant can hybridize[, ].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The bark and roots have similar medicinal applications as those of Erythrina vogelii[]. These are as follows:-
Unspecified plant parts, probably bark and/or roots, are used in traditional medicine in Côte d’Ivoire, to treat pains, rheumatism, bronchial complaints, gonorrhoea and haematuria, and as poison antidote[].

An anti-inflammatory isoflavonoid (warangalone) has been isolated from the stem bark, as well as protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B inhibitors[].

Agroforestry Uses:

Most Erythrina species are very easy to grow from cuttings, with even quite large branches striking well. In addition, they generally fix atmospheric nitrogen, have nutrient-rich leaves that make an excellent soil-enriching mulch, often have open crowns that do not overly restrict light, and are also often quite thorny and can provide impenetrable barriers to protect from unwelcome intrusions. Many species are therefore used as living fences to provide boundaries and livestock-proof hedges[, ].

Other Uses

The wood is used for house construction[].
The wood of Erythrina species is generally greyish-white in colour, light in weight but strong, with a spongy texture and not very durable. The wood from the various species is used for purposes such as sieve frames, surfboards, dugout canoes, outrigger canoe floats, boxes and small art carvings[].

Propagation

Like many species within the family Fabaceae, once they have been dried for storage the seeds of this species may benefit from scarification before sowing in order to speed up and improve germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing[].
Species in this genus are generally easy to grow from cuttings. Many will strike well even from large cuttings placed in the open ground so long as they are kept moist but not too wet[].

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