Erythrina speciosa (Cockscomb Coral Tree)

Native to Brazil, this deciduous shrub or small tree develops a spreading crown, thorny bark and leaves composed of three leaflets. Upright flower clusters bear vivid scarlet blossoms with narrow, tubular corollas. As the blooms age, their color may darken to wine red. The keel petals are considerably longer than the small wing petals inside each flower. Dry seed pods split open at maturity. Grown as an ornamental beyond its native range, the species has also escaped from cultivation. Photographed in Colombia.