Erythrina americana

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Common products:
- Wood (heartwood and sapwood) for light construction, interior furniture, cabinetry and veneer; also used as fuel.
- Wood chips for kraft pulp and paper production.
- Leaves used as fodder for livestock and as green manure.
- Bright red seeds used as ornamental beads for jewelry and craft.
- Nectar from flowers harvested by beekeepers, yielding honey.

Industrial and craft applications:
- The relatively low‑density wood is suitable for interior carpentry, paneling, small‑scale furniture and tool handles.
- Wood chips provide a raw material for the kraft paper and paperboard industry.
- Seed beads are used in handcrafted jewelry and decorative objects.

Food and beverages (non‑medicinal):
- Honey produced from the flowers is sold as a natural sweetener; the tree is a recognized bee‑forage plant.

Wood and fiber:
- Wood density ranges from about 0.4–0.5 g cm⁻³; the fiber is rich in cellulose (≈45 % of dry weight) and moderate in lignin (≈20 %), making it suitable for pulp and for light structural applications.
- Bast fibers are not commercially harvested from this species.

Properties relevant to use:
- Wood: moderate strength, low shrinkage, good workability; suitable for interior uses and pulp.
- Seed pigments: anthocyanins provide a stable red colour, useful for natural dyes and bead coloration.
- Nitrogen‑fixing ability: as a Fabaceae member it forms root nodules; the species is used as a model in legume symbiosis research and its genome is deposited in public legume databases.

Standards and regulation:
- Timber must comply with national building codes (e.g., Mexican NMX‑A‑147 for hardwoods) and with international sustainable‑forestry certifications such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
- Honey production follows food‑safety standards such as Codex Alimentarius and local apiculture regulations.

Sustainability and sourcing:
- E. americana is often planted in agroforestry systems for rapid growth, soil improvement and as a source of multiple products.
- Selective harvesting of leaves and seed collection for crafts is low‑impact; seed removal does not affect tree vigor.
- Sustainable management practices promoted by FSC and national forestry programs support the long‑term availability of wood, fodder, honey and ornamental seed products.

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