Erythrina variegata

Erythrina variegata, commonly known as tiger's claw or Indian coral tree, is a species of Erythrina native to the tropical and subtropical regions of eastern Africa, the Indian subcontinent, northern Australia, and the islands of the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean east to Fiji.

Description

A deciduous tree. It grows up to 15-20 m tall and loses its leaves for part of the year. The trunk has blunt spines. The branches are spreading, crooked and armed with sharp black prickles. The leaves have 3 leaflets. The leaflets are broadly oval and 8 to 18 cm long. They are shiny green on top and dull flat green underneath. The flowers appear before the leaves. The flowers are at the ends of branches and are hairy and dense. The flowers are large numerous and hang down. They are red. The pod is about 10 to 25 cm long and 1.5 to 2 cm across. The pod is constricted between the beans. Seeds are dark red.

Edible Uses

Erythrina variegata is valued as an ornamental tree. Several cultivars have been selected, including 'Alba' with white flowers. In Vietnam, the leaves are used to wrap fermented meat (Vietnamese: nem). E. variegata is known as dapdap in many languages of the Philippines where its bark and leaves are used in alternative medicine. E. variegata is often used in agroforestry systems. It can be used for fodder as its foliage has a good nutritive value for most livestock. The seeds are poisonous in their raw state but can be cooked and eaten. Along with the bark, the seeds were used to stupefy fish, making them easier to catch. The Formosan aboriginal Puyuma tribe carve a mortar called a taur from the trunk of the tree. It is used for pounding sticky rice that is later to be steamed.

Traditional Uses

The young leaves are eaten cooked. They are added to soups, stews and curries. The seeds are eaten after boiling or roasting. The young tender pods are boiled and eaten. The roots of seedlings less than 45 cm high are roasted and eaten. CAUTION Some similar coral trees contain alkaloids and are used as medicine. The seeds are poisonous raw.

Medicinal Uses

The leaves and bark are widely used as cures in many South-East Asian countries. Research has shown the presence of various active compounds in the plant. Alkaloids are present in low concentrations in the leaves and seeds, which give them narcotic properties. The seeds contain hypaphorine, erysodine, and erysopine. The leaves and bark contain the poison erythrinine, which acts upon the nervous system. Saponins are present in the leaves, bark and seeds. Hydrocyanic acid has been found in the leaves, stems, roots and fruits. The seed contains 0.75% of the free amino acid histidine, an amount only paralleled by Erythrina fusca. The bark is astringent and anthelmintic. It is used as an antipyretic, in decoction to treat liver problems and intermittent fever. It has also been used to treat rheumatism and to relieve asthma and coughs. A decoction of the bark and leaves is used to treat dysentery. When sweetened, it is considered a good expectorant. The leaves are sedative. A decoction of the dried leaves, often combined with o!her plants such as Passiflora hispida and Morus alba, is used for the relief of insomnia and anxiety. The crushed fresh leaves are used topically as a poultice in the treatment of haemorrhoids and metroptosis. The dried, powdered leaves are applied topically to treat wounds and ulcers. A decoction of the leaves has been used to treat mastitis. An ointment made by boiling the leaves with ripe coconut is applied to venereal buboes and pains in the joints. The roots and leaves are often employed to alleviate fever. The flowers are bechic and are used to treat afflictions of the chest. Crushed seeds are used to treat cancer and abscesses, and are boiled in a little water as a remedy for snake bites.

Known Hazards

The leaves and seeds contain low concentrations of alkaloids and have narcotic properties. The seeds contain the alkaloids hypaphorine, erysodine, and erysopine; the leaves and bark contain the poison erythrinine, which act upon the nervous system. Saponins are present in the leaves, bark and seeds. Although poisonous, saponins are poorly absorbed by the human body and so most pass through without harm. Saponins are quite bitter and can be found in many common foods such as some beans. They can be removed by carefully leaching in running water. Thorough cooking, and perhaps changing the cooking water once, will also normally remove most of them. However, it is not advisable to eat large quantities of food that contain saponins. Saponins are much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish. Hydrocyanic acid has been found in the leaves, stems, roots and fruits.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It is native from India to the Philippines and the Pacific. It mostly grows naturally along the dunes very close to the coast but is transplanted as an ornamental. It will grow up to 900 m altitude. It has been recorded up to 2,200 m above sea level in PNG. It is tolerant to salt. It can tolerate drought. It needs full sun. It can grow in a wide range of soils and soil pH values from 4.5-8.0. It is a nitrogen fixing tree so can grow on poor soils. It can grow in arid places. It suits hardiness zones 11-12. In Yunnan.

Where It Grows

Africa, American Samoa, Andamans, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, British Indian Ocean Terr., BIOT, Cambodia, Cape Verde, China, East Africa, East Timor, Egypt, Fiji, Guam, Haiti, Hawaii, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mariana Islands, Marquesas, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Myanmar, Nigeria, Niue, North Africa, Northeastern India, Pacific, Palau, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Philippines, Pohnpei, Rotuma, Ruukyu, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Uganda, USA, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Wallis & Futuna, West Africa, West Indies, Yap,

Cultivation

Trees can be grown from seed. Seed will remain viable for several years. Trees do not breed true from seed. Cuttings also grow easily. Large cuttings can be used.

Propagation

Fresh seeds, and those harvested within 3 - 6 months of maturity, can be sown without any special treatment. Germination rates are generally high and are often 100%. Seeds over 6 months old may take between 12 - 18 months to germinate due to their hard seed coat which becomes tougher with age. Soaking them in hot water, or abrading their seedcoat, can reduce this time considerably. They may be added to water which has just fallen below boiling point and left in the water as it cools for a minimum of one hour, but up to 12 hours for seed 3 years or more old, and then sown in the usual way. Alternatively, file the seeds with a slender triangular file. A groove can be made through the sides of the seed coat with care so as to avoid damaging the cotyledons or embryo, which usually results in the death of the seeds from fungal attack or in malformed and weakened seedlings. Seeds of most species produce strong seedlings from healthy seeds in almost any well-drained soil, with a minimum of trouble from damping-off disease. Seed - germinates in 8 - 10 days. Seedlings attain a transplantable height of 30 - 50 cm in 8 - 10 weeks. Large cuttings, 2 - 3 metres long and 5 - 8 cm in diameter, root well. Using large cuttings makes sure that new shoots are above grazing height and also allows fast early growth. Branch cuttings with the terminal buds are sometimes used to obtain tall, straight-stemmed trees.

Other Uses

Blackened dried leaves are worn for their scent. The white wood is ground into a powder and used as a face powder. A dark brown gum is obtained from the tree. It is of no value. The bark is said to yield a pale-yellow fibre that is excellent for cordage. The wood is white, but darker towards the centre. It is light in weight, soft, spongy and fibrous. It is used locally for making spears, shields, troughs, outriggers for canoes, and as floats for fishing-nets. The soft, white wood is easy to carve and so ir used for making statues, toys etc. The wood has been tested as a source of pulp for the paper industry. The fibre is acceptable for pulping, having good length, high flexibility and slenderness ratio and low Rankel's ratio. The wood can smoulder for a long time without going out and so is traditionally used for keeping a fire in the house. Grown as hedge plant or shade tree in various parts of the tropics. It is occasionally grown as a shade tree for cocoa and coffee, though it is not recommended in Java for this purpose as it is leafless for up to a few months per year. Stakes thrust into the ground readily take root, so they are used for making enclosures about gardens. The leaves are used as green manure. 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. It is used as live support for betel nut (Piper betle), black pepper (Piper nigrum), vanilla (Vanilla planifolia) and yam (Dioscorea spp.) vines. A columnar cultivar is planted in hedges as a wind break.

Production

It is fast growing. It can grow 1.5 m each year. Trees can live for 100 years.

Other Information

The tree occurs in many lowland areas of Papua New Guinea, but the leaves are only eaten by Sepik people at present.

Notes

There are 108 Erythrina species.

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

'atae, Badisa, Badita, Bangaro, Baridamu, Belendoong, Berebedhi, Butsu daavi, Chengkering, Citong, Dadap aykam, Dadap belang, Dadap blendung, Dap-dap, Dedap, Drala, Erabadu, Faiy-kurehi, Far-tuah, Galala itam, Gatae, Gate, Harivana, In-kathit, Kalayana-murikku, Kaliyanamurukku, Kathit-phyu, Mandar, Mandara, Mandaram, Milimbit, Modugu, Nara, Natae, Netae, Ngatae, Paar, Palita mandar, Palita, Panaraweo, Panervo, Panga, Pangara, Pangra, Parepein, Parijata, Pinle-kathit, Raar, Tawng lang, Tawng puak, Thethek, Thong-laang-laai, Thorny Tong, Tiger's claw, Varjipe, Vong nem, Waigunda, Weeku, Wiliwili hole

References (70)

• Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 205 (var. orientalis)
• Barwick, M., 2004, Tropical and Subtropical Trees. A Worldwide Encyclopedic Guide. Thames and Hudson p 166
• Bodkin, F., 1991, Encyclopedia Botanica. Cornstalk publishing, p 403
• Borrell, O.W., 1989, An Annotated Checklist of the Flora of Kairiru Island, New Guinea. Marcellin College, Victoria Australia. p 91 (var. orientalis)
• Bourke, R. M., Altitudinal limits of 230 economic crop species in Papua New Guinea. Terra australis 32.

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