Erythrina humeana (Fabaceae) grown from seed.
I love coral trees (Erythrina afra), but unfortunately I do not have enough space for it in my small garden. So I'm attempting a bit of an experiment with this species (which I have no prior experience with) because it only gets to about 2.5m (8ft) tall and has pretty red flowers. Erythrina are well known for their impressive blooms.
Although it occurs naturally more along the eastern coastline of South Africa, I'm growing this in Cape Town.
Germination was quite easy, and it is much quicker if you scarify and soak the seeds before sowing. I am finding that some of the seedlings are just losing the will to live, and I'm not sure why. But I planted six out today, two of which I'm not entirely convinced will make it. The other four look fine. Repotted them into a more enriched soil mix, and applied a bit of a liquid fertiliser in order to give them a bit of a boost as I think it might be a nutrient deficiency thing. Roots look good, and an interesting thicc base.
by dancon_studio
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