Common Name:

General Information

Erythrina sigmoidea is a very variable, prickly tree usually growing from 3 - 6 metres tal. The stems are armed with stout recurved prickles, the brownish bark is thick and corky[]
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine. It is possibly sometimes cultivated for medicinal use[].

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

Tropical Africa - Senegal and Gambia to Cameroon, Central Aftican Republic and Sudan

Habitat

Open forest on temporarily flooded sand; forest patch in sandy-clayey soil on hardpan; savannah; gravelly soils along streams; at elevations from 1,080 - 1,780 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	5.00 m
Pollinators	Birds, Insects
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, 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[]. The plant is tolerant of seasonal inundation of the 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[, ].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The plant (part not specified) is traditionally used as an antidote, antirheumatic, diuretic and febrifuge. It is used in the treatment of a range of conditions including venomous stings and bites, arthritis, rheumatism, pulmonary troubles, stomach troubles, infectious diseases and kidney diseases[, ].
Aqueous extracts from the leaves, bark and roots are used to treat gastrointestinal infections, venereal diseases and leprosy[, ].

Several compounds with cytotoxic properties have been identified in the bark, including sigmoidin, atalantoflavone, bidwillon A, neocyclomorusin, and neobavaisoflavone. They displayed good cytotoxicity towards drug sensitive and drug resistant cancer cell lines and also showed low cytotoxicity against the normal AML12 hepatocytes[].
A methanol extract of the leaves has been shown to have an effective antibacterial activity[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The short stature and strongly armed stems are suitable characters for defensive barriers[].
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

We have no specific information for this species, but 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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