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Coral Tree

Erythrina x sykesii · Fabaceae
20m
Mature height
10
Councils: no permit needed
2
Councils: exempt under a height limit
8
Councils: permit required
Coral Tree (Erythrina x sykesii) growing in Sydney
Coral Tree · typical mature form

Do you need a permit?

Coral Tree is exempt in some councils and protected in others, and several exemptions carry a height limit. Check the table below against the council for your address before assuming a permit is not needed.

How to identify it

Thick corky bark studded with sharp conical thorns, and stout brittle limbs. Leaves have three broad leaflets. Bright scarlet flower spikes appear on bare branches in winter and early spring.

Where it grows in Sydney

Naturalised along creek lines, foreshores and back fences across the Northern Beaches, Eastern Suburbs, Inner West, Georges River and Canterbury-Bankstown.

Common problems

  • Extremely brittle timber with a high failure rate in storms
  • Every broken branch can root where it falls, spreading the tree
  • Thorny limbs make handling and clean up hazardous
  • Shallow roots lift paving and destabilise retaining walls

What removal involves

One of the highest priority removals from a risk perspective and exempt almost everywhere on this list, with Bayside capping the exemption at 5m and City of Sydney at 10m. Note that every offcut must be disposed of properly rather than mulched on site, because fragments strike readily.

Council permit rules, council by council

Status below is for a tree on private land that has passed the council’s size threshold. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas, significant tree registers, biodiversity mapping and conditions of development consent override every exemption shown here.

Council
Status
What it means
Northern Beaches
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Ku-ring-gai
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Hornsby Shire
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
The Hills Shire
Confirm with Council
Council holds its species exemptions in a document rather than on its website, so confirm this species with Council before treating removal as exempt. Size thresholds apply in the meantime. Official rules
Blacktown City
Permit required
Council does not run a species exemption list. A permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold, and each tree is assessed on its own merits. Official rules
North Sydney
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Willoughby
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Lane Cove
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
City of Ryde
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Hunters Hill
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
City of Sydney
Exempt under 10m
Exempt only below 10m in height. At or above that size a tree permit is required. Heritage listings override the exemption. Official rules
Inner West
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Woollahra
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Waverley
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Randwick
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Bayside
Exempt under 5m
Exempt only below 5m in height. At or above that size a tree permit is required. Heritage listings override the exemption. Official rules
Georges River
No permit needed
On Council's exempt species list, so no permit is required for removal. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas and significant tree register listings still override the exemption. Official rules
Strathfield
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Burwood
Confirm with Council
Council holds its species exemptions in a document rather than on its website, so confirm this species with Council before treating removal as exempt. Size thresholds apply in the meantime. Official rules
Canterbury-Bankstown
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules

Frequently asked questions

Why do arborists prioritise Coral Tree removals?

The timber is exceptionally brittle and large limbs fail without warning, often over fences, cars and structures. Combined with the thorns and the tendency to regrow from fallen wood it is a poor tree for any suburban block.

Can the wood be chipped and left on site?

Best not to. Coral Tree strikes readily from cut material, so offcuts should be removed rather than mulched into garden beds.

Commonly confused with

Illawarra Flame Tree
Both put on a red display on bare branches. Coral Tree is thorny, brittle and exempt almost everywhere

Related species

Golden Robinia (Robinia pseudoacacia 'Frisia') growing in Sydney
Golden Robinia
Robinia pseudoacacia 'Frisia'
Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) growing in Sydney
Honey Locust
Gleditsia triacanthos
Illawarra Flame Tree (Brachychiton acerifolius) growing in Sydney
Illawarra Flame Tree
Brachychiton acerifolius
African Olive (Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata) growing in Sydney
African Olive
Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata

Important note on council rules

This encyclopedia is a practical guide for Sydney property owners, not legal advice. Council tree rules change, and exemptions are frequently overridden by heritage listings, heritage conservation areas, significant tree registers, biodiversity mapping, endangered ecological communities and conditions attached to development consent. Always confirm the current rules with your council for your specific address before any tree work begins, or ask us to check it for you.
Photo by cultivar413 from Fallbrook, California via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Quick facts

Botanical name
Erythrina x sykesii
Also known as
Indian Coral Tree, Cockspur Coral Tree
Family
Fabaceae
Origin
Hybrid of uncertain origin, widely naturalised
Mature height
10m to 20m
Canopy spread
12m to 20m
Growth rate
Very fast
Foliage
Deciduous, three lobed leaflets
Typical lifespan
60 years plus
Root habit
Shallow, brittle and suckering
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