Erythrina L.
Aka Erythrina americana Mill
Location: Tropical and Warm Regions Around the World (Primarily Southwestern North America, Mexico and Central America)
Erythrina plants are small trees that create intricate looking red and green flower-like pods. Sprouting on super spiny branches, these flowers contain 2-8 beans each, dark red in color. There are typically a large number of these flowers/pods provided the plant is healthy.
Ancient Aztecs used the Coral Tree seeds throughout their culture and rituals, referring to it as Tzompanquahuitl. Guatemala is famous for the use of Coral Tree beans in divination and other spiritual rituals. It is a Tarahumara Indian tradition to use many parts of the Coral Tree in medicine and as a hallucinogen.
