Erythrina edulis (basul) is a nitrogen fixing tree that is native to the Andean region from western Venezuela to southern Bolivia.

[1] Basul is a legume and so it produces protein-rich beans covered in pods which can be used for human or animal nutrition.

[2] Erythrina edulis is a vigorous, fast-growing precocious legume species, and is considered one of the easiest trees to grow.

[1] Erythrina edulis grows best in well-drained soils with a sandy or clayey texture and a pH ranging from 5.5 to 7.

[4] Erythrina edulis produces a raceme of red flowers, which are pollinated by bees, wasps and birds.

E. edulis can produce food during scarcity, because the seeds are normally ripe when the previous year's stocks are exhausted but when it is still too early for the new harvest.

The trees can be grown in association with other cash crops as sugar cane, coffee and cacao.

Because of the advantages of spatial diversity and the sustainability of agroforestry systems, this form of cultivation continues to gain importance.

[5] The amino acid pattern of the seeds of Erythrina edulis forms a good complement to cereals and tubers.

Some of these species resemble E. edulis;[7] the difference is clear for a trained eye, but less experienced people should be careful with harvesting and eating the beans.

Usage is typically limited to periods when other food supplies are scarce, but the South American governments are advertising E. edulis in the Andes.

Also the Colombian government is trying to conserve these beans in cans with the aim to provide an opportunity to store them longer and to open the export market.

When the pods and grains are used as fodder for chickens, fish, pigs or rabbits, they need to be boiled first, otherwise they can be toxic because of the alkaloids.

Erythrina edulis is not produced on a large scale yet, but the tree has potential for small-scale farmers because of the different uses (food, fence, fodder,...).