Nature Field Guide
Mountain Immortelle
- Spanish name
- Poró gigante
- Scientific name
- Erythrina poeppigiana
What Do Pico & Tati Think?
Pico wants to sketch the tree’s silhouette. Tati suggests looking for three clues before guessing its name. What would you notice first?
Species overview
About the Mountain Immortelle
Poro gigante is a South American tree widely planted and naturalized in Costa Rica. Its orange flowers and three-leaflet leaves are useful clues. It has long been grown for shade in coffee-growing landscapes.
Identification
Key Features of the Mountain Immortelle
Orange flower clusters
Three leaflets per leaf
Large shade tree in farm landscapes
Habitat & range
Planted shade areas, farms and disturbed moist landscapes.
Local observations
OTS records Caribbean and northern lowlands, the Central Valley and Central Pacific; these tags include cultivated and naturalized trees. Regional tags are evidence-based connections, not a guarantee at every location or an exhaustive range.
When to observe
Visit in daylight and compare leaves, flowers and fruits. Flowering and fruiting vary by place, weather and individual plant; a plant may not be in bloom during your visit.
Conservation & care
Observe from paths and leave leaves, bark, flowers and fruits attached. Do not taste wild plants or offer them to pets. Ask a knowledgeable guide to confirm the species.
Observation activity
Draw one leaf and one other feature without picking anything. Compare your sketch with the illustration and record whether you saw flowers, fruits or neither.
Explore by location
Caribbean · Central Pacific · Central Valley · Northern Plains