E R Y 
long fpike of flowers and thick root , commonly called the 
Carolina Coral-tree. 
2. Erythrina ( Coralkdendron ) inermis, foliis tcrnatis, 
caule arboreo. Smooth Erythrina with trifoliate leaves , 
and a tree-like Jlalk. Coral arbor Americana, Hort. 
Amft. i . p. 2 1 1 . Smooth American Coral-tree. 
3. Erythrina (Spinofa) foliis ternatis, caule arboreo 
aculeate. Hort. Cliff. 354, Erythrina with trifoliate 
leaves , and a tree-like prickly jlalk . Corallodendron tri- 
phyllum Americanum, fpinofum, fiore ruberrimo. 
Tourn. Inft. R. H. 66 1. Prickly three-leaved American 
Coral- tree , with a very red flower. 
4. Erythrina (Pida) foliis ternatis aculeatis caule ar- 
boreo aculeate. Lin. Sp. 993. Erythrina with trifoliate 
prickly leaves , and a prickly tree-like Jlalk. Coralloden- 
dron triphyllon Americanum, minus fpinis Sc femi- 
nibus nigricantibus. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 66 1. Smaller 
three-leaved American Coral-tree , with blacker fpines and 
feeds. • 
5. Erythrina (. Americana ) foliis ternatis acutis, caule 
arboreo aculeato, floribus fpicatis longifllmis. Ery- 
thrina with trifoliate acute-pointed leaves , a prickly tree- 
like Jlalk , and very long fpikes of flowers. Coralloden- 
dron triphyllon Americanum, foliis mucronatis, le- 
minibus coccineis. Houft. MSS. Phree-leaved American 
Coral-tree , with acute-pointed leaves and fcarlet feeds. 
6. Erythrina ( Inermis ) foliis ternatis acutis, caule 
fruticofo inermi, corollis longioribus claufis. Ery- 
thrina with acute trifoliate leaves , a fhrubby unarmed 
Jtalk , and longer flowers which are clo fed. Coral arbor 
non fpinofa, fiore longiore & magis claufo. Sloan. 
Cat. Jam. 142. Coral-tree without fpines , having a 
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 feveral 
curious gardens. This hath a very large woody root, 
which feldom rifes more than a foot and a half high, 
from which come out frelli fhoots every fpring •, thefe 
grow about two feet high, their lower part being gar- 
nifiied with trifoliate leaves, of a deep green colour, 
which are fhaped like the point of an arrow •, the upper 
part of the ftalks are terminated by a long fpike of fcar- 
let 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-ftiaped 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 ftrong irregular branches, which are covered 
with a brown bark, garnifhed with trifoliate leaves 
Handing upon long foot-ftalks, the middle lobe which 
terminates the leaf, being much larger than the other 
two ; they are all heart-fhaped, fmooth, and of a 
deep green colour *, the flowers come out at the end 
of the branches, in fhort, thick, dole fpikes ; they 
are of a deep fcarlet colour, and make a fine appear- 
ance. Thefe commonly are in beauty in May and 
June in this country, but are not fucceeded by pods 
here *, but in America, where the trees grow natu- 
rally, they have thick, fwelling, crooked pods, which 
contain large kidney-fhaped feeds, of a reddifh purple 
colour. The leaves of this tree decay in the fpring 
and fall off, 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 flowers 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 differs from the fecond, in 
having its trunk, branches, and the foot-ftalks of the 
leaves, armed with fhort crooked fpines, the leaves 
and flowers being very like thefe of the fecond fort. 
The fourth fort hath fhrubby ftalks, which divide 
into branches, and feldom rife above eight or nine 
ERY 
feet high ; thefe are armed in every part with ftrong, 
crooked, black fpines ; the leaves are fmaller than 
thofe of the two laft forts, and have a nearer refem- 
blance of the firft •, the foot-ftalks of the leaves are 
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 ftem 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 greenifh fpines, as are alfo the 
ribs and foot-ftalks 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 iels thorny ; but as I 
was doubtful of its being a diftindl 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 not 
more than half fo thick as thofe of the fecond fort ; 
the feeds are of a bright fcarlet colour, they are longer 
and flenderer 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 fhoots out into branches at a little diftance from 
the ground, which grow erect, fo form a bufhy fhrub. 
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 alfo 
longer than thofe of the other fpecies, and the whole 
flower is more clofed. 
I have alfo received fpecimens of a variety of the third 
fort from the ifland of Barbuda, with very fhort 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 fhort 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 ma/ differ 
from the other fpecies. 
There are two other forts of Coral-tree mentioned by 
Sir Hans Sloane, in his Hiftory of Jamaica: one of 
which is by its charafters a Sophora, 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, are 
fome of the greateft ornaments to the ftoves we yet 
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 feldom they flower here, or in 
any of the northern parts of Europe ; yet in the 
countries 
