Indian Coral Tree

Erythrina variegata

Beng: Polita madar / madar Hindi: pangra

A mid-sized soft wooded tree with yellow or greenish grey smooth, shinning bark, young branches have conical thorns, leaves are divided into three large broad leaflets.

Bark: Pale, somewhat corky with shallow furrows

Leaf: The leaves are divided into three large broad diamond shaped leaflets, two of which are set opposite one another with the third, which is usually larger, at right angles to them and opposite the main stalk

Flower: Large (2-3’’ long), bright scarlet in dense tufts at the ends of the stem, structurally similar to pea-flower, but the upper petal is very much larger than the others and the stamens project a long way beyond the rest of the flower

Fruit: A pod (up to 15’’ long), which is large and contains up to 8 seeds separated by distinct joints in the pod.

Season: During the cold season the tree usually sheds its leaves entirely and the branches remain bare until, in February or March, the large bright scarlet flowers appear in dense tufts at the ends of the stems, to be followed later by the new leaves.

Range/habitat:  The tree is a native of the coasts of India, including parts of sundarban and Malay peninsula. Can be considered native to Kolkata.

Where to Find:  There is a tree inside Lion’s safari park in Rabindra sarobar near the rose garden 22.51282, 88.35930