Ifffjg fpike of flowers and thick foot^ commonly called the 



Carolina Coral-tree. 

 i. Erythrina {Corallodendron) incrmls, foliis tcrnans, 

 caule arborco. Smooth Erythrina "with trifoliate leaves^ 

 end a tree-like fialk. Coral arbor Americana. Hort. 

 Amft. I. p. 2 11. Smooth American Coral'tree, 



3 



ofc 



354. Erythrina with trifoliate 

 leaves, and a treelike prickly JialL Corallodendron tri- 

 phyllum Americanum, fpinofcrn, flore ruberrimo. 

 Tourn. Tnft. R. H. 661. Prickly three4eaved American 



Ccral-tree, 





/ 



dfli 



4. Erythrina (Picia) foliis ternatis aculeatis caule ar- 

 boreo aculeato. Lin. Sp. 993. Erythrina with trifoliate 

 prickly leaves^ and a prickly tree-like flalL Coralloden- 

 dron* triphyllon Americanum, minus Ipinis & lemi- 

 nibus nigricantibus. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 661. Smaller 



feeds 



blacker fp. 



5. Erythrina {Americana^ foliis ternatis acutis, caule 

 arboreo aculeato, floribus fpicatis longifTimis. Ery- 

 thrina voith trifoliate acute-pointed leaves, a prickly tree- 

 like ft alk^ a7m very longfpikes of flowers, Coralloden- 

 dron triphyllon Americanum, foliis mucronatis, fe- 

 minibus coccineis. Houft. MSS. Three-leaved American 

 Coral- tree, with acute-pointed leaves and fcarlet feeds. 



6. Erythrina {Inermis) foliis ternatis acutis, caule 

 fruticofo inermi, coroUis longioribus claufis. Ery- 

 thrina with acute trifoliate leaves^ a fhruhby unarmed 

 ftalk^ and longer flowers which are clofed. Coral arbor 



non fpinofa, flore longiore & magis claufb. Sloan. 



Cat. 



Jam. 



fp. 



142. Lorai-rree wiwoui 

 longer clofer flower, ■ ■ ■ 



The firft fort grows naturally In South Carolina, "from 

 whence Mr. Catefby fent the feeds in the year 1724, 

 and many of the plants were then raifed in leveral 

 curious gardens^ This hath a verjr large woody root, 

 -which feldom rifes more than a foot and a half high, 

 from which come out frefti fhoots every fpring ; thefe 

 grow about two feet high, their lower part being gar- 

 nifhed with trifoliate leaves, of a deep green colour, 

 : Tjvhich are Ihaped like the point of an arrow ; the upper 



{)art of the ftalks are terminated by a long fpike of fcar- 

 et flowers, compofed of five petals, the upper petal 

 being much longer than the other, fo that at a fmall 

 diftance the flowers appear to have but one petal. 

 After the flowers are paft, the germen turns to a taper 

 pod five or fix inches long, fwelling in every part 

 where the feeds are lodged, opening in one cell, con- 

 taining five or fix kidney-fliaped fcarlet feeds. Thefe 

 plants flower in England, but they never produce 

 feeds here. 



The fecond fort hath a thick woody ftem, which rifes 

 . about ten or twelve feet high in this country, but in 

 its native country grows to twice that height, fending 

 out many fl:rong irregular branches, which are covered 

 with a brown bark, garnifhed with trifoliate leaves 

 ftanding upon long foot-flialks, the middle lobe which 

 terminates the leaf, being much larger than the other 

 two; they are ail heart-fhaped, fmooth, and of a 

 deep green colour ; the flowers come out at the end 

 of the branches, in fhort, thick, clofe fpikes •, they 

 are of a deep fcarlet colour, and make a fine appear- 

 ance. Thefe commonlv are in bea 



J 



May 



here ; but in America, where the trees grow natu- 

 rally, they have thick, fwelling, crooked pods, which 

 contain large kidney-fliaped feeds, of a reddifli purple 

 colour. I'he leaves of this tree decay in the fpring 

 and fall ofi\, fo that in fummer they appear to have no 

 life ; but in the autumn it puts out new leaves, 

 which continue green all the winter. The flov/ers do 

 not appear till the leaves drop, fo that the branches 

 are often naked at the time When the flowers are out. 

 The third fort chiefly difitrs from the fecond, in 

 having its trunk, branches, and the foot-fl:alks of the 

 leaves, armed with fliort crooked fpines, the leaves 

 and flov/ers being veiy like thofe of the fecond fort. 

 The fourth fort hath flirubby ftalks, which divide 

 into branches, and feldom rife above eight or nine 



E R 



feet high; thefe are armed in every part with ftron^:- 

 crooked, black fpines ; the leaves arc fmaller thart 

 thofe of the tv/o lafl: forts, and have a nearer refem- 

 blance of the firft-; the foot-fl:a!ks of the leaves arc 

 armed with the fame fort of fpines, and the midrib 

 of the leaves have alfo fome which are fmaller and 

 not fo black ; the flowers are of a paler fcarlet, and 

 grow in loofer fpikes. The feeds are as large as thofe 

 of the fecond fort, but are of a dark purple colour. 

 This tree is generally planted in the Eaft:-Indies for 

 a fupport to the Pepper plants, which twine round 

 the fl:em and branches, whereby they are prevented 

 trailing on the ground ; and as the branches of this 

 tree will put out roots and grow, fo they are preferable 

 to any dead props, which in thofe hot countries 

 where there is much rain, would foon rot. 

 The feeds of the fifth fort were fent me from La 

 Vera Cruz, where the plants grow naturally-, and 

 fince I have received feeds of the fame fort from the 

 Cape of Good Hope, fo that it is a native of both 

 countries. The feeds of this are not half fo large as 

 thofe of the fecond or third forts, and are of a bright 

 fcarlet colour ; the leaves are alfo much fmaller, and 

 have long acute points ; the branches are very clofely 

 armed with crooked greenifli fpines, as are alfo the 

 ribs and foot-fl:alks of the leaves. The flowers grow 

 in very long clofe fpikes, and are of a beautiful fcarlet 

 colour. 



I have alfo raifed a variety of this with paler flowers 

 and feeds, and the plants were lefs thorny ; but as I 

 was doubtful of its being a difliindt fpecies, fo I only 

 mention it here. 



The fixth fort grows in Jamaica, and fome of the 

 other iflands in America, from whence I have received 

 the feeds. The pods of this fort are longer, and ^ot 

 more than half fo thick as thofe of the fecond fort; 

 the feeds are of a bright fcarlet colour, they are longer 

 and flendcrcr than thofe of the other forts'; the leaves 

 are fmall and acute-pointed, and the ftalks are fmooth 

 and without fpines : this doth not grow very large, 

 but flioots out into branches at a little diftance fram 

 the ground, which grow ereft, fo form a bufliy ftirub. 

 The flowers come out at the end of the branches in 

 fhort fpikes ; the ftandard of the flower is long, and 

 the fides turn down over the wings, which are alfa 

 longer than thofe of the other fpecies, and the whole 

 flower is more clofed. 



I have alfo received Ipecimens of a variety of the third 

 fort from the ifland of Barbuda, with very Ihort flow- 

 ers and pods ; they came by the title of Bean-tree, 

 which is the common appellation given to thefe trees 

 in America; but the flowers were feparated from 

 the ftalks, fo that I can give no account in what 

 manner they grow, whether in long or Ihort fpikes ; 

 but the ftamina of thefe are much longer than the 

 petals, in which it differs from all the other; the 

 pods are very fhort and crooked, but are rather 

 thicker than thofe of the third fort ; the leaves have 

 the fame appearance, and are armed with fpines, as 

 are alfo the ftalks and branches, but the plants have 

 not as yet produced any flowers here. 

 A few years ago I received a few very fmall feeds of , 

 a Coral-tree from the Cape of Good Hope, which 

 were of a bright fcarlet colour; the plants have no 

 fpines on them, the leaves are much larger than the 

 other forts, their ftems are ftrong, and have the ap- 

 pearance of growing to large trees ; but as they are- 

 young, fo there is no determining how they may differ 

 from the other Ipecies. 



There are two other forts of Coral-tree mentioned bv 

 Sir Hans Sloane, in his Hiftory of Jamaica : one of 

 which is by its charafters a Sophoi-a, under which 

 genus we fhall place it ; and the other will be put- 

 under Robinia, to which genus it properly belongs. 

 Thefe plants when they produce their flowers 

 fome of the greateft ornaments to the ftoves 

 know ; for their flowers are produced in large fpikes, 

 and are of a beautiful fcarlet, fo they make a fine ap- 

 pearance; but it is feklom they flower here, o^^^^ 



any of the northern parts of Europe ; yet in tne 



countries 



arc 

 vet 



