Bursting with vibrant blooms and twisting branches, coral trees (Erythrina spp.) are some of the most striking trees in our gardens. In this gallery, artists from the NTBG Florilegium Society bring these trees to life on paper, capturing their dazzling colors and sculptural forms.
From Hawaiʻi to Africa, the Amazon, and beyond, explore these featured works from past Florilegium shows with insights from Dr. David Lorence, senior research botanist at NTBG.
Want to see more stunning botanical illustrations? Come see our 2025 Florilegium Art Show open from March 8-29 with an opening reception on Friday, March 7.
The Hawaiian name wiliwili means “repeatedly twisted” and refers to the seedpods, which twist open to reveal the red to yellowish-orange seeds. Wiliwil is one of Hawai’i’s few deciduous native trees. It loses its leaves during the summer and then produces masses of showy flowers which may be orange, yellow, salmon, green or white within a population.
We have several wiliwili trees in McBryde Garden, Limahuli Garden, and Kahanu Garden, each originating from different places across Hawaiʻi.
The Amazon coral tree is native to South America and produces clusters of long, tubular attractive pink to crimson flowers on erect leafless branches. Its flowers are pollinated by hummingbirds, as are those of many other members of the genus native to the neotropics. In Hawaiʻi, non-native birds such as this warbling white-eye may visit the flowers.
The Amazon coral tree in McBryde Garden originates from Maranhão, Brazil.
Named for the legendary Scottish explorer David Livinstone, this African tree has striking fissured, reddish-brown bark set with hard thorny knobs. The brilliant scarlet red flowers are produced on the ends of thorny branches.
The Mozambique coral tree in McBryde Garden comes from Lilongwe,,Malawi.
This deciduous shrub or small twiggy tree is native to dry regions of central Mexico. Its fuzzy tubular pale pink flowers are pollinated by hummingbirds.
The Erythrina lanata subsp. occidentalis in McBryde Garden originates from Mexico.
This unusual species is found only in Ecuador. Spikes of orange and yellow flowers are produced on leafless branches that hang down from the canopy where they can be pollinated by perching birds like honeycreepers. The plump, corky brown fruits resemble potatoes, and each contains a single seed.
The Erythrina megistophylla trees in McBryde Garden come from Rio Palenque, Ecuador.
Malott’s coral tree is a hybrid between two species made by David Neill as part of his doctoral research on Kauaʻi. The hybrid, which is sterile and does not set seed, commemorates Dean Malott, first president of NTBG and his wife Eleanor.
