Abstract
The coral trees (genus Erythrina) have been fostering great interest among the botanists and gardeners of Naples, since their arrival in Europe in the second half of the 18th century. Numerous species were present in the royal and private botanical gardens of the region, but their number has decreased today. The purpose of this work was to verify which species occur nowadays in the public areas of Naples and associate them with the historical information about their introduction. The identification was carried out also by molecular methods, by means of sequencing nuclear and chloroplast DNA markers. The comparison of the sequences obtained for the specimens present in Naples with those present in the literature, together with a morphological examination, allowed us to identify with accuracy the species anciently introduced or nowadays cultivated in Naples.
Highlights
Genus Erythrina L. (Fabaceae) consists of about 120 species [1,2,3], mostly trees and shrubs
Despite only E. crista-galli and E. caffra are found in cultivation in the public areas of Naples nowadays, historical researches indicate the presence of other species, such as E. americana and
A doubt remains on whether E. corallodendron was effectively cultivated in the parks of Naples
Summary
Genus Erythrina L. (Fabaceae) consists of about 120 species [1,2,3], mostly trees and shrubs. (Fabaceae) consists of about 120 species [1,2,3], mostly trees and shrubs. They are widespread especially in the tropical areas, with the highest number of taxa in America and a smaller number in Africa and Asia [4]. They are most prominently used for ornamental purposes in the warm areas of the world [5], where they become naturalized in some cases [6,7].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
