Galapagos Species Database
The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.
Erythrina velutina
caco, pepito colorado, bucare velludo, flame tree, coral tree, red bean tree
A striking large straight-trunked tree that loses its leaves during the dry season. About 12 m tall, usually armed with stout spines to 1.5 cm long, leafless at anthesis; Young stems densely tomentose with stellate hairs. The large flowers are blood red and cover the tree before the new leaves are produced. Young trees have spiny trunks.
On cinder slopes, lava flows, and rocky hillsides; beyond the natural range as an ornamental (Wiggins and Porter, 1971).
Domain
Eukaryota
Kingdom
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida (= Dicotyledoneae)
Order
Fabales
Family
Fabaceae
Genus
Erythrina
Species
velutina
Taxon category: Accepted
Syn.: Erythrina splendida Diels
Origin: Native
Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.
Distribution: The native range of this species is Caribbean to S. Tropical America (POWO, 2023).
- Atkinson, R. Guézou, A. & Jaramillo, P. (2009) Siémbrame en tu jardín - Plantas nativas para jardines en Galápagos. Fundación Charles Darwin, Puerto Ayora, Galápagos, Ecuador, 151 pp.
- Cayot, L. J. (1987) Ecology of Giant Tortoise (Geochelone elephantopus)in the Galápagos Islands. Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Biology in the Graduate School of Syracuse University.
- Eliasson, U. (1965) Studies in Galápagos Plants. I. Leguminosae. Svensk Botanisk Tidskrift 59: 345-367.
- Grant, P.R. Grant, B.R. (1980) The breeding and feeding characteristics of Darwin's finches on Isla Genovesa, Galapagos. Ecological Monographs 50:381-410
- Jaramillo, P. (1998) Distribución Espacial de la Vegetación Vascular y Dispersión de Especies Introducidas dentro del Parque Nacional Galápagos. Tesis de Doctorado en Biología, Universidad Central del Ecuador. Especialización ECOLOGIA DE POBLACIONES.
- Jørgensen, P.M. León-Yánez, S. (eds.) (1999) Catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Ecuador. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 75. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis, 1181 pp.
- Krukoff, B.A. (1939) The American species of Erythrina. Brittonia 3(2): 205–337.
- Lawesson, J.E. (s.a.) Pers. obs. field notes, collections 1985-7.
- Lundh, J.P. (1995) Some additional information and comments on the Annotated Check list of Vascular Plants of the Galapagos Islands by Lawesson, Adsersen and Bentley. Charles Darwin Research Station, unpublished.
- Mauchamp, A. (1995) Informe de viaje de campo a Darwin y Wolf. Inventario sistematico de la flora y fauna de las islas. Charles Darwin Research Station, unpublished.
- McMullen, C.K. (1999) Flowering plants of the Galapagos. Cornell University Press, Ithaca and London, 370 pp.
- Robinson, B.L. (1902) Flora of the Galapagos Islands. Papers from the Hopkins-Stanford Expedition to the Galapgaos Islands. Proc. Amer. Acad. 38(4): 78-270.
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (2022) Plants of the world online POWO (2022): Plants of the world online. Published on the Internet; Https://powo.science.kew.org/
- Schofield, E.K. (1971) Field Guide to Some Common Galápagos Plants. Lindblad Travel, Inc., NY: 1-42.
- Smith, A.G. (1964) Land snails of the Galápagos. In: Bowman, R.I. (ed.): The Galápagos. Proc. Symposia G.I.S.P., Univ. Calif. Press, Berkeley: 240-251.
- Stewart, A. (1911) A botanical survey of the Galápagos Islands. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. 4th Series, 1: 7-288.
- Svenson, H.K. (1935) Plants of the Astor Expedition, 1930 (Galapagos and Cocos Islands). Am. J. Bot. 22: 208-277.
- Tropicos.org. (2017) Database of Missouri Botanical Garden. Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden. 06 Oct 2017 <http://www.tropicos.org
- Wiggins, I.L. Porter, D.M. (1971) Flora of the Galapagos Islands Standford University Press, Stanford.
You are welcome to download and use the information found in this page, acknowledging its source.
This page should be cited as follows:
"Galapagos Species Database, Erythrina velutina", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=523/1000. Accessed 15 December 2025.