Erythrina speciosa Andrews, Fabaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 11 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Erythrina reticulata C. Presl

Habit:  shrub/tree

Description:  "Shrubs or small trees to c. 4 m tall. Terminal leaflet broadly ovate to rhombic-trullate, (12-) 15-22 cm long, often slightly broader than long, rounded-truncate at base, densely pubescent when young, glabrescent above, with occasional small thorns on midrib and main veins below; stipules caducous; stipels conoid, c. 1 mm long, glandular. Inflorescence axillary, subterminal, 15-30 cm long, many-flowered, densely pubescent. Calyx campanulate, 1-1.5 cm long, with a short spur below, becoming glabrous. Petals bright crimson; standard narrowly elliptic, 5-7 cm long, not reflexed; wings 0.5-1 cm long; keel linear, 3-4 cm long. Pods 15-30 cm long, not or only slightly constricted between seeds. Seeds ellipsoidal, c. 1 cm long, red"  (Flora of Australia online).

Habitat/ecology:  (no habitat/ecology info known by PIER)

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  South-eastern Brazil  (Flora of Australia online).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia (Pacific offshore islands) Norfolk Islands	Norfolk Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Australian Biological Resources Study (2011) Vouchers cited: R.O.Gardner 6151 (AK, K), W.R.Sykes NI 481 (CHR) Locally naturalised as an escape from cultivation.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (year unknown) (voucher ID: PTBG 19162) Taxon name on voucher: Erythrina speciosa
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (year unknown) (voucher ID: PTBG 7850) Taxon name on voucher: Erythrina speciosa

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)	introduced cultivated	Randall, R. P. (2007) (p. 193)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 40)

Additional information:
Additional online information about Erythrina speciosa is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Erythrina speciosa as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Erythrina speciosa may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Australian Biological Resources Study. 2011. Flora of Australia Online. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra.

Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. 2009. A checklist of the total vascular plant flora of Singapore: native, naturalised and cultivated species. Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore. 273 pp.

National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.). 0. Voucher specimen #PTBG19162(Flynn, Tim 5681).

National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.). 0. Voucher specimen #PTBG7850(Lau, Joel 1752).

Randall, R. P. 2007. The introduced flora of Australia and its weed status. CRC for Australian Weed Management, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia. 524 pp.
Also:  Searchable online database at http://weeds.cbit.uq.edu.au/.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.