Bloomipedia
Eastern coral bean (Erythrina herbacea)
Photo: Evan M. Raskin via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Eastern coral bean

Erythrina herbacea

Eastern coral bean (Erythrina herbacea) is a shrub or small tree in the Fabaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly March–May across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Eastern coral bean is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 4 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in March–May.

10states where USDA records it
4Bloomipedia state lists include it
14,961U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina

Quick look

Erythrina herbacea, commonly known as the Eastern Coralbean, Cherokee Bean, Mamou in South Louisiana, Red Cardinal, or Cardinal Spear is a flowering shrub or small tree found throughout the southeastern United States and northeastern Mexico; it has also been reported from parts of Central America and, as an introduced species, from Pakistan.

  • It belongs to the Fabaceae family. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub / a subshrub with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 10 states. USDA PLANTS
  • NatureServe lists it as native to Florida, South Carolina, Louisiana and Mississippi. NatureServe
  • In Florida, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–May. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 8,120 research-grade sightings of it in Florida, ranking #9 among the 151 flowers on our Florida list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 674 research-grade sightings of it in South Carolina, ranking #43 among the 171 flowers on our South Carolina list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 563 research-grade sightings of it in Louisiana, ranking #57 among the 154 flowers on our Louisiana list. iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (2,064 records)
Bloom time in the 4 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it
StateTypePeak bloomSightings*
FloridaNativeMarch–May8,120
South CarolinaNativefew records (30)674
LouisianaNativefew records (19)563
MississippiNativeApril–June351

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)
Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
NatureServe global
G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
Florida
Not listed Not on Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055). NatureServe: S5, secure in Florida. FAC 5B-40.0055
South Carolina
No list South Carolina has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's South Carolina ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in South Carolina.
Louisiana
No list Louisiana has no state list of endangered or threatened plants separate from the federal list, so we show federal status and NatureServe's Louisiana ranks. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Louisiana.
Mississippi
No list Mississippi has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Mississippi ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in Mississippi.
Rare elsewhere
Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: AR (S1), NC (S2). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleCaution: partly edible, partly poisonous

NC State Extension lists it as poisonous to humans (severity: low). Poisonous parts: seeds. Symptoms they list: “Vomiting, diarrhea” They also note: “Caution is encouraged in human use as an herb. Flowers and young leaves may be cooked and eaten, however, all parts of the plant have low toxicity. Symptoms mainly occur with ingestion of seeds. Symptoms are vomiting and diarrhea; prior to modern medicine concoctions from the plant were used to relieve constipation.” NC State Extension

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records Eastern coral bean in 10 states.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas.

Florida counties with USDA records: Alachua, Brevard, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Duval, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Jackson, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Nassau, Okaloosa, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, Walton.

South Carolina counties with USDA records: Allendale, Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Georgetown, Hampton, Horry, Jasper.

Louisiana counties with USDA records: Acadia, Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Calcasieu, Caldwell, Cameron, Catahoula, Claiborne, De Soto, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Iberia, Jackson, Jefferson Davis, LaSalle, Lincoln, Livingston, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Rapides, Red River, Sabine, St. Helena, St. Landry, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Union, Vermilion, Vernon, Washington, Webster, West Feliciana, Winn.

Names, range and relatives

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Erythrina arborea.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 184 counties across 9 states; the most are in Florida (48), Louisiana (41), Texas (37).

More from the Fabaceae family (114 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Lupines, White clover, Red clover, Eastern redbud, Purple crownvetch, Bird's-foot trefoil, Partridge pea, White sweetclover.

More Florida flowers

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Introduced

🌼 Blooms in FL: August–October
Butterfly pea (Centrosema virginianum)

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Sources