Scientific Name: Erythrina vespertilio

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  • Pronunciation:
    erry−THRI−na ves-per-TIL-ee-oh
  • Common Name:
    Bat\\\'s Wing Coral
  • Type:
    Tree
  • Family:
    FABACEAE
  • Flowers:
    Pink to orange red flowers to 3cm in spikes, spring, summer
  • Fruit:
    Brown pod to 10cm, splitting lengthwise with 2-4 yellow/orange seeds POISONOUS
  • Vegetation Type:
    Dry Eucalypt Forest, Dry Rainforest
  • Species List:
    Bush food, Craft, Bush medicine, Kin Kin Arboretum, Laguna Lookout
Cultural Notes

TAKE CARE! Some information about bush foods and medicines may be anecdotal. Correct identification and preparation is essential:

POISONOUS seeds used by aboriginal people for necklaces and headbands. Wood used for shields and water carriers.

Timber: used extensively in Nth. Qld. for brake blocks on bullock or horse-drawn wagons. Wood also used for polo balls, and making floats for fishing nets.

Bush food. Roots eaten raw.

Identification Notes

Deciduous, trunk and branches have stout prickles. Size and shape of leaf varies.