Cockspur coraltree

Erythrina crista-galli, the cockspur coral tree or ceibo, is a small deciduous tree or large shrub of the legume family native to subtropical South America, where it is the national flower of Argentina and Uruguay. It typically reaches 5–8 m in height, with a gnarled, often crooked trunk and spreading branches armed with scattered prickles. The alternate leaves are pinnately compound with three leathery, ovate to elliptic leaflets borne on a prickly stalk. The plant is celebrated for its showy inflorescences: large, drooping racemes of bright crimson-red, distinctly pea-shaped flowers in which the standard petal is the largest and most conspicuous. These are followed by elongated, woody, constricted pods containing several hard dark-brown seeds. The seeds and other tissues contain erythrina alkaloids and are poisonous. The tree grows along riverbanks, wetlands and gallery forest, tolerating seasonally flooded ground.