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Tree Species (Scientific Name)

Erythrina edulis

Tree Family

Leguminosae

Average Leaf Size (cm)

15cm

Length

9cm

Width

Tree Height

Medium (20–35m)

Elevational Range (m)

750–2600m

Distribution

Native

Exotic

Native to Colombia

Native to

Region

Americas

Latin America

Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela

Colombia

Antioquia, Boyacá, Cauca, Cundinamarca, Huila, Nariño, Quindío, Santander, Tolima, Valle del Cauca

Coffee Agroforestry Information

Coffee System

Arabica

Coffee Impact

Beneficial to coffee

Cultivation

Planted

Natural

Tree Management

Planted by seeds and cuttings.

Tree Benefits and Uses

Farmer Uses

Food
Livestock Forage
Fuelwood
Lumber
Medicinal
Product

The seeds are mainly eaten cooked and should be boiled for at least 45 minutes or fried well before eating as they contain toxic alkaloids. It is used in construction and to make frames, surfboards, canoes, boxes, and small art carvings.

Farm Services

Coffee Shade
Soil Improvement
Reforestation
Nitrogen Fixation
Carbon Capture

It is commonly used in ecological restoration processes as a pioneer species and as living fences for the maintenance and conservation of water sources and soil recovery.

Biodiversity Benefits

Yes

Attracts biological control agents, Attracts seed dispersers, Attracts pollinators; Flowers attract hummingbirds and many insects. That abundance of insects makes these trees very attractive for many species of both resident and migratory birds, not only insectivores.

Citations

Plants of the World Online (POWO). (2024). Plants of the World Online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet. Retrieved from http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/;

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). (2024). IUCN Red List. Published on the Internet. Retrieved from https://www.iucnredlist.org/;

Fern, Ken (2024). Tropical Plants Database. Published on the Internet. Retrieved from https://tropical.theferns.info/;

Universidad EIA. (2024). Catálogo virtual de Flora del Valle de Aburrá. Published on the Internet. Retrieved from https://catalogofloravalleaburra.eia.edu.co/;

Cárdenas, L. M. (2016). Aspectos ecológicos y silviculturales para el manejo de especies forestales: Revisión de información disponible para Colombia. Fundación Natura. Bogotá, D.C., Colombia

World Flora Online. (2024). World Flora Online. Published on the Internet. Retrieved from https://www.worldfloraonline.org/;

Universidad Nacional de Colombia. (2024). Nombres Comunes de las Plantasde Colombia. Published on the Internet. Retrieved from http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/es/;

Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). (2024). GBIF. Published on the Internet. Retrieved from https://www.gbif.org/es/

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