Flower profile

Eastern coral bean

Erythrina herbacea

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

4of our state lists

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.
From Wikipedia's article Erythrina herbacea, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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 February–May. ^iNaturalist
In South Carolina, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–June. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 8,120 research-grade sightings of it in Florida, ranking #9 among the 110 flowers on our Florida list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 674 research-grade sightings of it in South Carolina, ranking #40 among the 111 flowers on our South Carolina list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 563 research-grade sightings of it in Louisiana, ranking #54 among the 109 flowers on our Louisiana list. ^iNaturalist

Eastern coral bean gift ideas

Handmade eastern coral bean gifts from independent makers.

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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (2,064 records)

Bloom time in each of our 4 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Florida	Native	February–May	8,120
South Carolina	Native	April–June	674
Louisiana	Native	few records	563
Mississippi	Native	April–June	351

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.

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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.

More Florida flowers

White clover

Trifolium repens

Introduced

🌼 Blooms: March–September

Red clover

Trifolium pratense

★ VT state flowerIntroduced

🌼 Blooms: May–October

Eastern redbud

Cercis canadensis

Native

🌼 Blooms: February–May

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile ERHE4.
iNaturalist, Erythrina herbacea: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Erythrina herbacea (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Florida: Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055).
Florida: Florida Noxious Weed List (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-57.007).
South Carolina: South Carolina State Plant Pest List, plants (S.C. Code Regs. 27-135; Clemson Dept. of Plant Industry).
Mississippi: Mississippi Noxious Weed List (2 Miss. Code R. 1-3-01-136.01).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Erythrina herbacea (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Evan M. Raskin via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.