BIGNONIA FAMILY 



BIGNONIACEAE 



TRUMPET FLOWER. TRUMPET CREEPER 



Tecoma radicans (L.) Juss. 



The Bignonia family is composed of trees, shrubs and 

 woody vines, most of which have large and showy flowers. 

 Most of them are tropical plants. The familiar Catalpa trees 



and the Cross Vine, which are 

 found in the extreme southern 

 end of the state, belong to this 

 family. The seeds of all mem- 

 bers are winged. 



Flowers of the Trumpet 

 Creeper are pollinated largely by 

 hummingbirds, which obtain 

 nectar from the bases of the long 

 corolla tubes. Nectar glands are 

 also found on the outside of the i 

 calyx, and these are frequented 

 by ants. 



The Trumpet Flower or Trum- 

 pet Creeper is found in moist 

 woods and thickets or in waste 

 places in the open from New Jer- 

 sey to Illinois and Iowa, south to 

 Florida and Texas. It is rare or 

 absent from extreme northern Illinois but is common in the 

 central and southern parts. This is a woody vine which climbs 

 20-40 feet high or in open places grows prostrate or sometimes 

 takes the form of a shrub. The opposite leaves are compound, 

 withy-ii leaflets. Thelatter are ovate to lanceolate, short stalked, 

 sharply toothed, net veined, smooth or slightly hairy on the 

 veins beneath, acute or acuminate at the tip and narrowing at 

 the base, and are i 3^-3 inches long. 



The large scarlet flowers are produced in August and Septem- 

 bers in clusters of 2-9. The calyx is bell shaped and 5-toothed. 

 The long tubular corolla is slightly 2-lipped and 5-lobed at the 

 end. The 4 stamens are arranged in pairs beneath the upper lip 

 of the corolla and do not extend out of the flower. The pistil 

 consists of a 2-celled ovary, a slender style and a 2-lobed stigma. 

 The fruit is a podlike capsule 4-6 inches long, containing a large 

 number of flat, winged seeds. 



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