Erythrina sandwicensis grows 35 to 45 feet tall and has about the same diameter. In cultivation, it is generally smaller, growing to 30 feet tall and 25 feet in width. The trunk and branches have a few short spines growing on them. These spines become less noticeable as the plant ages.Erythrina sandwicensis is one of Hawai'i's few deciduous native trees. It loses it's leaves during the summer in order to conserve water and puts out new leaves in the fall. Each leaf has three round to triangular shaped leaflets. Each leaflet is up to 3 inches long.Erythrina sandwicensis blooms after the leaves fall in the summer making the flower clusters very showy. Weissich notes that flowering time can be variable occuring during the summer through November. The curved, claw-shaped flowers are 1 to 2 inches long and grow in bunches at the ends of the branches. They are generally orange, but there are forms with red, salmon, peach, light green, yellow, or white flowers.
Wiliwili Care
Erythrina Sandwicensis
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Humidity
Normal
Lighting
Full Sun
Hardiness zone
10 - 12
Difficulty
Medium
Hibernation
Cold Period
Toxicity
Poisonous
How to Care for the Plant
Water
It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought
Pruning
May need restrictive pruning under glass.
Fertilizer
Young potted plants require low doses of soluble fertilizer on a regular basis. But once wiliwili is put in the ground, no additional fertilizer is required for these nitrogen-fixing trees.
Sunlight
pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
Soil
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
Additional
All Erythrina species contain greater or lesser amounts of toxic alkaloids - these can be found in all parts of the plant but are usually most concentrated in the seeds. Concentrations vary from species to species, in some it is low enough that the plant is safely used as a food. In many, the alkaloids are utilized for their medicinal effects. We have no specific information on the concentration of the alkaloids in this species, but care should be exercised in any use of the plant that involves ingestion. These alkaloids have a curare-like action (obtained from Strychnos species) and can cause paralysis and even death by respiratory failure
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