WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Erythrina abyssinica, WUCOLS IV

How often to water Abyssinian coral tree in California

In July on the south coast, established Abyssinian coral tree in loam needs a deep watering about every 27 days: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy, about 14 gallons a week. Abyssinian coral tree is a deciduous tree from mid-elevation woodlands and grasslands of eastern Africa, growing upright to spreading to about 30 feet. Mature trunks and branches carry handsome light brown, corky bark. Young stems and leaflets have a few thorns and gray, woolly hairs. Bright red, cone-like flower clusters open from late winter, while the tree is bare, into early summer.

TreeRated for 2 of 6 zones

How often to water Abyssinian coral tree, month by month

Your city
Canopy width
10 ft
Your soil

Type your city above and the days between waterings and the gallons appear here, worked out from your city's climate table. Or read the figures by climate zone further down.

Every month, on your water days. The personal plan prints this for Abyssinian coral tree and the rest of your yard, on the days your water supplier allows.Get the plan for $19

How this is worked out: established roots fill the top 1.5 feet of soil, and you water again when that soil has dried halfway. Loam soil holds about 1.5 inches of water per foot. Water the whole area under the branches, and skip a watering after a good soaking rain.

Which soil do you have?

Dig down a few inches, take a handful of moist soil and squeeze it.

  • Sandy: gritty, falls apart when you open your hand, will not form a ball.
  • Loam: forms a soft ball that crumbles when you poke it.
  • Clay: forms a firm, sticky ball and squeezes out into a ribbon between thumb and finger.

Still not sure? Pick loam. Most garden beds sit between sand and clay.

How to measure canopy width

A tree with its canopy width marked across the widest branches and the circle under it shaded blue

Measure across the branches, from the tips of the outer leaves on one side to the tips on the other. A tape works, or pace it out.

Water the whole circle under the branches, shown in blue. The gallons here cover that circle.

A wider canopy means more gallons each watering, not more waterings. While the tree is young, measure again each spring.

How to tell it needs water

  • Abyssinian coral tree leaves hanging limp in summer, with dry ground well below the surface, tell you a young tree needs a slow soak
  • Leaves dropping in winter are normal for this deciduous tree
  • Yellowing leaves on soil that stays wet point to overwatering
  • Frost-damaged shoot tips after a night near 30 degrees F point to cold, not thirst

How to water it

  • Run a slow hose over the root area of a young coral tree, then wait for the ground to dry
  • Choose a full sun site where the soil drains freely
  • Give established trees occasional deep summer soaks for better growth
  • Give steadier deep soaks in the low desert
  • Wear gloves when pruning, since young stems carry thorns

Through the seasons

Give a newly planted coral tree steady deep soaks during its first few warm seasons. Once established it is drought tolerant, though deep summer soaks help it grow. It drops its leaves in winter and often blooms on bare branches from late winter into early summer. It is cold hardy to about 30 degrees F. WUCOLS rates Abyssinian coral tree low water on the south coast. The low desert carries a moderate water rating. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the north-central coast or the high desert. WUCOLS has not evaluated it for the Central Valley or South Inland.

In pots

Abyssinian coral tree outgrows a pot in the end, but a young tree can spend a few seasons in a big tub on a sunny terrace. Fill it with a gritty, free-draining mix. Give a full soak once the upper two inches feel dry, and let the excess run out. In hot weather, feel the mix every other day. Tip out any water left in the saucer. Once the leaves drop, add water only now and then, and move the tub under cover when frost is due.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
Not ratedWUCOLS does not rate Abyssinian Coral Tree for the Central Valley zone
A year
no figure
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses

WUCOLS lists Abyssinian Coral Tree as not evaluated for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Abyssinian Coral Tree: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan––0.31––0.78
Feb––0.32––0.93
Mar––0.46––1.52
Apr––0.56––1.95
May––0.64––2.45
Jun––0.69––2.79
Jul––0.79––2.85
Aug––0.74––2.6
Sep––0.6––2.08
Oct––0.46––1.49
Nov––0.33––0.96
Dec––0.26––0.68
Year––6.2––21.08

How this is worked out: the WUCOLS water rating for each zone times that zone’s climate for the month. A dash means WUCOLS does not rate the plant there. The figures are what the plant uses, before sprinkler losses.

Plants with the same water needs 16

Rated not evaluated in the Central Valley, like Abyssinian coral tree. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Hawthorn MapleAcer crataegifoliumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMountain MapleAcer glabrumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMiyabe MapleAcer miyabeinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingEverglades PalmAcoelorraphe wrightiinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPink CedarAcrocarpus fraxinifoliusnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingYellowwoodAfrocarpus falcatus (Podocarpus falcatus)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingNew Caledonian PineAraucaria columnaris (A. cookii)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingFormosa Sugar PalmArenga englerinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingNeemAzadirachta indicanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingBismarck PalmBismarckia nobilisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingAmerican HornbeamCarpinus caroliniananot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingJapanese HornbeamCarpinus japonicanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingAmerican YellowwoodCladrastis kentukeanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPagoda DogwoodCornus alternifolianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingGiant DogwoodCornus controversanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingButterfly PalmDypsis lutescens (Areca)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

Every city page has a calculator that takes Abyssinian coral tree, your sprinkler type and the month, and gives the minutes per water day for that supplier's schedule. Or put it in a zone of the personal watering plan and get all twelve months printed.

Questions people ask

How much water does Abyssinian coral tree need per day?

In July on the south coast, established Abyssinian coral tree needs about 2.0 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 8.0 gallons a day under a 20 foot canopy. Give it in deep waterings spread days apart rather than a little every day, so the whole root zone gets wet.

Does watering for Abyssinian coral tree change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates Abyssinian coral tree separately for each of the six California climate zones: not suited to this region in the North-Central Coastal zone, not evaluated in the Central Valley zone, low water in the South Coastal zone, not evaluated in the South Inland zone, not suited to this region in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, moderate water in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.

When does Abyssinian coral tree bloom?

It can bloom in late winter while the tree is bare, or as late as early summer. The flowers are bright red in cone-like clusters. Wavy stamens top each cluster.

Is Abyssinian coral tree poisonous?

It is flagged as possibly poisonous. Keep children and pets away from its seeds. Wear gloves when pruning the thorny stems.

How big does Abyssinian coral tree get?

It grows to about 20 to 30 feet. Growth is upright to spreading. It is a smaller coral tree than many.

How cold can Abyssinian coral tree take?

It has proven hardy to about 30 degrees F. It may take short dips a little lower. Mild gardens suit it best.

What other names does it have?

It is also called lucky bean and flame tree. The species name refers to Abyssinia, an old name for Ethiopia. It is rare in California gardens.

More plant watering guides

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Sources