Does anyone know what this plant is and how to propagate it? My aunt has it growing in her yard and says it's a Coral Bead plant but that's not what I'm finding in the plant files.
ID?
Is it Coral Bean (Erythrina flabelliformis)?
Carla
It's probably Erythrina herbacea, Cherokee Bean, Coral Bean. From the distance the photo was taken, it is harder to tell. Do you have a close-up photo?
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2724/
Oh my dear, your aunt is one lucky woman, what a gorgeous Coral Bean!!! that plant must be quite old.
Does that photo look far off to you? To me, it looks like it was taken right at the plant. I wonder if it's showing differently on our computers.
Ya'll are right....coral 'BEAN'....heehee. No wonder I couldn't find it. Isn't it pretty?
K, that's beautiful! Plantfiles said you can prop from seeds...(hint hint).
I have that plant, but it never reaches that size up here because it dies to the ground every year, so i am quite jealous of the size of the plant. It is also a very slow grower, so it takes a lot of patience.
Gorgeous plant... looks like a buffet set for the hummers and butterflies! Is it blooming already?
I believe so. I think she just took the picture. I want a cutting!
What? too impatient to wait for seeds? LOL
You know, as many blooms as there are, that plant probably has a ton of seeds. Look around under it, it may also have some small sprouted plants from last season...
It is very pretty.
GOSH.... that plant .. TREE.. is gorgeous!!! Mine is a native, and I left it right where it grew. It is by the driveway coming to our house, and when in bloom I always have to look... such a vibrant red! Mine is a baby compared to this one though
Beck, this Erythrina has rose colored blooms. You may be thinking of Erythrina X bidwillii. I have one that dies down to the ground every winter, but pops back in the spring. It produces the really vibrant red blooms.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/56753/
Betty GOSH.... you mean they have rose colored blooms??? OHHH I have to have one of those. Yep I have the bidwillii, but wonder if this one would be like a tree here in my zone too? Mine is like a shrub.. Gotta go look this one up !!
Thanks,
Becky
Well, I just got the scoop on the tree.
About 3 years ago, my aunt and uncle were fishing down a local river and saw this tree off in the distance on one of the banks. It wasn't private property so they came back with shovel the next day. They dug, and they dug, and they dug. She says it took them 6 hours to get it out of the ground and they were worried that it wouldn't make it. Thank goodness they were wrong. It's just beautiful!
You're right, Pod! impatience is my middle name. I'll ask for seeds too and share.
Becky, I found information on E. herbacea. If you get freezes, they'll die down to the ground. Here, they would die down to the ground. Even as a shrub, it would be worth it.
Beck5711 ~ It is listed in Wild Flowers of the Big Thicket... if I recall your location, you are nearby so it should grow for you.
Betty, yes mine dies and comes back too... thanks for the info... you and frostweed are a wealth of knowledge.. I love looking at the wildflower thread !!
Podster.. I need that book.. I have so many wild flowers and need to know what they are, and we are in the big thicket for sure.. Thanks !!
Josephine, I'm actually glad to know that it dies back here. I have a small one that's been in a pot for a while because I've not know what to do with it. I might just find it a place this year if it's not going to take over. Do you have a picture of yours? I'm curious of the size.
Mine never gets big, the flower shoots come up first, and the plant afterwards, it is only about 2 feet tall after about 6 years in the ground.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/60230/
Josephine.
fly add me to that hint hint .. lol. its so pretty so nice lovely lovely.
Well, the PlantFiles say that it requires very acidic soil and I have just the opposite, very alkaline, but I'm going to plant it and just and give it some coffee grounds and compost. Wish me luck!
Paige, you will never be able to lower the pH enough to satisfy its needs. A plant that requires acidic soil will go chlorotic in alkaline soil. Try amending the soil with agricultural sulfur and peat moss. Use a pH meter to check the soil pH. You could also try a raised bed which has been filled with potting mix for acid loving plants. To keep the pH low, you would have to fertilize with fertilizer for acid-loving plant. At the first sign of chlorosis, re-test the soil pH.
Bettydee, I think I've talked to you about my trees before and I know you are right and I would not be attempting this if it were a tree, but might since this is more of an ornamental shrub I was kind of going at it with a different perspective. I'm just "going for it". :) I have read in different places (online and books) that it can also adapt to clay soils (which I have) and since it is supposed to be a native Texas plant I'm hoping that it might be able to adjust. It's small so I will watch it and if it starts to decline I will just pull it back up and pot it, and more than likely give it away.
Epsom Salt often cures my problem with alkaline soil.
The magnesium in the epsom salt doesn't change the pH in the soil and there isn't enough sulfur in it to change the pH. So it doesn't cure it. It has an effect on the plant itself. This is a slat which can have a detrimental effect on the soil and plants if the excess doesn't have time to leach out of the soil.
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf62825998.tip.html