September in the Gardens

Bats Wing Coral Tree, Erythrina vespertilio, or Grey Corkwood or Wo-in-ya.
This small tree with corky bark and thorns on the branches is a specimen in your Cooktown Botanic Gardens and some other places around town including Lions Park and a street tree along Charlotte Street. The common name comes from the shape of the leaves.

Erythrina....from Greek, erythros, red, referring to the flower colour, vespertilio....from Latin vespertilia, a bat, referring to the shape of the leaves.
The tree is in the Fabaceae family which features pea-shaped flowers and this one has spectacular scarlet to orange-red flowers in August-September. Flowers are bird-pollinated. These flowers appear on the bare branches after the leaves fall as the plant is deciduous in the dry season.  The flowers are followed by brown woody pods, the seeds are toxic.
This plant was painted by Vera Scarth-Johnson and collected by Banks and Solander in 1770. The Banks Florilegium print of it will be exhibited in June and you can wonder, like me, how Sydney Parkinson could have painted this plant with flowers on it in June 1770 when the plant would be unlikely to have flowers at that time of the year.  The original dried herbarium specimen from 1770 in London at the Natural History Museum does not have flowers on it according to the Collection Manager at the Museum.

Aboriginal people would eat the roots raw and the leaves are supposed to be a sedative, similar to the use of some South American species of Erythrina that are used for better and deeper sleep and to reduce anxiety. All Erythrina species contain 'Erythrina alkaloids', which include erythrane, erythroidine, coralline and others. These alkaloids are found in the whole plant, but especially in the seeds which are toxic. The roots and bark of many species exude a deep orange dye, which can be used for fabrics and artefacts. The wood is also used to make artefacts, especially of a spiritual nature. It is very soft and easy to carve.

 Propagation is from seed or cuttings. Generally no seed treatment is required but light scarification may assist germination. Cover the seeds with very hot water and let soak overnight or until they swell. Pick out those that didn't swell and repeat process with them. Sow swollen seeds immediately in seeding mix, covering with two to three times their thickness. Do not overwater or allow to dry out, and provide good drainage and bright light. Should germinate within a few weeks with this pre-treatment, or many months without.