Erythrina L.

Trees, shrubs, or shrubby herbs, commonly armed. Leaves pinnately trifoliolate; leaflets entire, commonly palmately lobed, stipellate, usually ovate-deltate or rhombic, lateral leaflets often asymmetric and smaller than the terminal one; stipules inconspicuous, persistent or caducous. Inflorescence(s) terminal or intercalary pseudoracemes; bracts caducous. Calyx either broadly campanulate with reduced lobes or spathiform-tubular and 2-lipped; corolla papilionaceous or modified, red, orange, or scarlet, standard broad or narrow, usually much exceeding other petals, wings half length of standard or tiny, keel short or approaching the standard in length; androecium monadelphous or diadelphous, stamens often exserted beyond the reduced keel; style glabrous. Legume exserted-stipitate, slowly dehiscent, oblong to linear, laterally compressed or terete, straight or contorted, coriaceous or ligneous. Seeds few to numerous, sometimes red. Pantropical and contiguous warm regions, about 100 species. (ISE)

1. Leaves green............................................................................................................E. herbacea

1. Leaves varigated......................................................................................................E. variegata

(WU1, ISE, PBCC)