| Common Name: |
Bat’s Wing Coral Tree, Bean Tree |
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| Family: |
Fabaceae |
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| Form and Size: |
A small, straggly tree, 6 - 8m high with thorns on trunk and branches;
deciduous. |
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| Distribution: |
All mainland states except Victoria. Widespread from arid areas
to rainforest margins. |
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| Leaves: |
Bifoliate or trifoliate, 10 - 15cm long. Leaflets are broadly
wedge shaped or 3-lobed and resemble a bat’s open wings, 7
- 12cm x 5 - 12cm. Terminal leaflet if present is usually longer
and narrower than the others. |
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| Bark: |
Grey, furrowed and corky. |
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| Flowers: |
Pea-flowers, scarlet to orange-red, 3 - 4cm long; borne in terminal
racemes 5 - 25cm long. |
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| Flowering Period: |
August to November. |
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| Fruit: |
Pods, 6 - 12cm x 1.5 - 1.8cm, constricted between the seeds; seeds
2 - 8 orange or yellow, about 1.2cm long. |
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| Cultivation/Notes: |
Propagate from scarified seed or cuttings. Young trees may be
transplanted while leafless. Flowering usually takes place before
new leaves appear. May be grown in a wide rang of soils as long
as drainage is good, and it is in an open, sunny position. It is
a very hardy plant when established. |
