Worth knowing:
The national plant of Argentina can easily be cultivated as a tub plant, ideally grows 1,50 meters in average in a pot and unfolds in the summer time between June and September a sea of flames with fiery red butterfly blossoms. Over the years it develops a short, thick stem with long, graceful and thorny branches with up to 25 cm long grapes and 5 cm big blossoms sitting at end. During autumn the sprouts are casting their leaves and dry almost out, so it can be pruned heavily like a bush. Its botanical name derived from the cockscomb-like shaped blossoms: “erythros” means red in Greek language, and “crista-galli” is Latin for crest of a rooster. Warning! The plant is in every part poisonous.
Natural Location:
The Cockspur Coral Tree has its natural habitat in Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina. There, it is often found in the gallery forests near riverbanks. Today it is being cultivated as ornamental plant in all parts of the world.
Cultivation:
Seed propagation indoors is possible throughout the year. But it will take about four years until the first blossoming. Place the seeds for about 12 hours for priming in warm water to increase the germinability. Then plant the seeds about 1 cm deep in moist potting compost and cover the seed container with clear film to prevent the earth from drying out. Don’t forget to make some holes in the clear film and take it every second or third day completely off for about 2 hours. That way you avoid mold formation on your potting compost. Place the seed container somewhere bright and warm with a temperature between 20°C and 25° Celsius and keep the earth moist, but not wet. The germination usually starts after two to four weeks.
Place:
The Cockspur Coral Tree normally sprouts very late. It is advisable, for a blooming in early summer, to pre-shoot indoors beginning of March. Afterwards, from the middle of May until the end of September, it is best to place your tub plant outdoors at a warm and full sunny spot. During growth and blossoming it should be kept somewhere as sunny as possible.
Care:
The Cockspur Coral Tree is rather carefree, but it has to be watered during growth and blossoming regularly and sufficiently. On hot days, watering is required even twice, in the morning and in the evening. During growth it also needs fluid fertilizer every two weeks, while during blossoming fertilizing is needed on a weekly basis. After blossoming you can give less water, and starting with October only a minimum of water is required. Every two to four years, the tree should be shifted during spring to a new pot, using either quality earth for tub plants or a mix of one half garden soil and one half compost earth. Regularly cut out the dried inflorescences to achieve a longer blossoming in several waves.
During the winter:
In late autumn you have to cut the sprouts about 10 cm above the stem. During hibernation, the Cockspur Coral Tree is best to be kept only slightly moist, in a dark, frost-free room with a temperature below 10° Celsius. Starting in March you should move your plant to a warmer and brighter spot in the house, so it can slowly start to shoot again and the watering can be increased accordingly.
Picture credits:
- © © Frank Vincentz - CC-BY-SA-3.0 - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
- © Frank Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © Frank Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © Sabine Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © KENPEI - CC-BY-SA-2.0 - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
- © Frank Vincentz - CC-BY-SA-3.0 - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
- © Sabine Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © Frank Vincentz - CC-BY-SA-3.0 - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
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