Tecoma stans

Last updated

Tecoma stans
Tecoma Stans (Yellow Elder) (28863456756).jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Bignoniaceae
Genus: Tecoma
Species:
T. stans
Binomial name
Tecoma stans
(L.) Juss. ex Kunth
Synonyms [2]
  • Bignonia frutescens Mill. Synonym
  • Bignonia incisa DC. [Invalid] Synonym
  • Bignonia sorbifolia Salisb. Synonym
  • Bignonia stans L. Synonym
  • Bignonia tecoma Wehmer Synonym
  • Bignonia tecomoides DC. Synonym
  • Gelseminum stans (L.) Kuntze Synonym
  • Stenolobium incisum Rose & Standl. Synonym
  • Stenolobium quinquejugum Loes. Synonym
  • Stenolobium stans (L.) Seem. Synonym
  • Stenolobium stans var. apiifolium (DC.) Seem. Synonym
  • Stenolobium stans var. multijugum R.E.Fr. Synonym
  • Stenolobium stans var. pinnatum Seem. Synonym
  • Stenolobium tronadora Loes. Synonym
  • Tecoma incisa (Rose & Standl.) I.M.Johnst. Synonym
  • Tecoma molle Kunth Synonym
  • Tecoma stans var. angustatum Rehder Synonym
  • Tecoma stans var. apiifolia DC. Synonym
  • Tecoma stans var. stans Synonym
  • Tecoma tronadora (Loes.) I.M.Johnst. Synonym
  • Tecoma velutina Lindl. Synonym

Tecoma stans is a species of flowering perennial shrub in the trumpet vine family, Bignoniaceae, that is native to the Americas. Common names include yellow trumpetbush, [3] yellow bells, [3] yellow elder, [3] ginger Thomas. [4] Tecoma stans is the official flower of the United States Virgin Islands and the floral emblem of The Bahamas.

Contents

Description

Tecoma stans is a semi-evergreen shrub or small tree, growing up to 10 m (30 ft) tall. [1] It features opposite odd-pinnate green leaves, with 3 to 13 serrate, 8- to 10-cm-long leaflets. The leaflets, glabrous on both sides, have a lanceolate blade 2–10 cm long and 1–4 cm wide, with a long acuminate apex and a wedge-shaped base.

The large, showy, golden yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers are in clusters at the ends of branches. The corolla of the flower is bell- to funnel-shaped, five-lobed (weakly two-lipped), often reddish-veined in the throat and is 3.5 to 8.5 cm long. Flowering takes place from spring to fall, but more profusely from spring to summer. [5] [6]

The fruits, narrow capsules, arise from two carpels and are up to 25 cm long. A fruit contains many yellow seeds with membranopus wings; when the fruit opens upon ripening, these seed are spread by the wind (anemochory). The flowers attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. [7] Apart from sexually by seed, Tecoma stans can also be reproduced asexually by stem cuttings.

Habitat

Tecoma stans is native to the Americas. It extends from the southern United States through Mexico, Central America, and the Antilles to northern Venezuela, and through the Andes mountain range to northern Argentina. It was introduced in southern Africa, India, and Hawaii. It is evergreen in moist and warmer regions, but is deciduous in more temperate regions that have a pronounced dry season. [8]

Yellow trumpetbush is a ruderal species, readily colonizing disturbed, rocky, sandy, and cleared land and occasionally becoming an invasive weed. It thrives in a wide variety of ecosystems, from high altitude temperate forests and tropical deciduous and evergreen forests, to xerophilous scrub and the intertropical littoral. It quickly colonizes disturbed, rocky, sandy, and cleared fields. The species prefers dry and sunny regions of the coast.

Cultivation

Flowers Yellow trumpetbush -- Tecoma stans.jpg
Flowers

Tecoma stans is drought-tolerant and grows well in warm climates. It is cultivated as an ornamental. They are grown in many parts of the world for their beautiful flowering, to adorn streets and gardens. It can be easily propagated by stem cuttings.

Uses

The wood of Tecoma stans is used in rustic architecture like bahareque, for the construction of furniture and canoes, or as firewood or charcoal. It is a medicinal plant used against diabetes and against diseases of the digestive system, among other uses. The plant is desirable fodder when it grows in fields grazed by livestock.

It is a very potent anti-venom against cobra venom, used by Pakistani old medicine. It is proved to be better than antiserum, the paste of this plant's leaves are applied topically on the cobra bite. Its bio-chemicals bind with the cobra venom enzymes thus effectively inhibiting the venom. [9]

Honey production

Tecoma stans is unique in that although it is nontoxic itself, the honey from its flowers is poisonous nonetheless. [10] [11]

Invasiveness

Tecoma stans has invasive potential and occasionally becomes a weed. The species is considered invasive in Africa (especially South Africa), South America, Asia, Australia and the Pacific Islands. It now presents a significant danger for biodiversity. It competes with local species and can form thick, almost monospecific thickets.

Related Research Articles

<i>Magnolia virginiana</i> Species of tree in the magnolia family, Magnoliaceae

Magnolia virginiana, most commonly known as sweetbay magnolia, or merely sweetbay, is a member of the magnolia family, Magnoliaceae. It was the first magnolia to be scientifically described under modern rules of botanical nomenclature, and is the type species of the genus Magnolia; as Magnolia is also the type genus of all flowering plants (magnoliophytes), this species in a sense typifies all flowering plants.

<i>Syzygium samarangense</i> Species of Asian fruit tree in the flowering plant family Myrtaceae

Syzygium samarangense is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae, native to an area that includes the Greater Sunda Islands, Malay Peninsula, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, but introduced in prehistoric times to a wider area and now widely cultivated in the tropics. Common names in English include wax apple, Java apple, Semarang rose-apple, and wax jambu.

<i>Spathodea</i> Genus of trees

Spathodea is a genus in the plant family Bignoniaceae. The single species it contains, Spathodea campanulata, is commonly known as the African tulip tree. The tree grows between 7–25 m (23–82 ft) tall and is native to tropical dry forests of Africa. It has been nominated as among 100 of the "World's Worst" invaders.

<i>Caesalpinia pulcherrima</i> Species of plant

Caesalpinia pulcherrima is a species of flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae, native to the tropics and subtropics of the Americas. It could be native to the West Indies, but its exact origin is unknown due to widespread cultivation. Common names for this species include poinciana, peacock flower, red bird of paradise, Mexican bird of paradise, dwarf poinciana, pride of Barbados, flos pavonis, and flamboyant-de-jardin. The Hawaiian name for this plant is ʻohai aliʻi.

<i>Pandorea</i> Genus of vines

Pandorea is a genus of nine species of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae and is native to Australia, Malesia, New Guinea and New Caledonia. Plants in the genus Pandorea are mostly woody climbers with imparipinnate leaves arranged in opposite pairs, flowers in groups with tube-shaped flowers, and winged seeds.

<i>Cephalanthus occidentalis</i> Species of flowering plant

Cephalanthus occidentalis is a species of flowering plant in the family Rubiaceae that is native to eastern and southern North America. Common names include buttonbush, common buttonbush, button-willow, buck brush, and honey-bells.

<i>Tecomaria capensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Tecomaria capensis, the Cape honeysuckle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Bignoniaceae, native to southern Africa. Despite its common name, it is not closely related to the true honeysuckle.

Yellow bells is a common name for several plants and can refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esmeraldas woodstar</span> Species of bird

The Esmeraldas woodstar is a rare, neotropical species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. There are six different species in the woodstar genus. Most of them are poorly studied due to their small size, extremely similar resemblance to each other, and rarity. Esmeraldas woodstars are one of the smallest bird species. They are sexually dimorphic. The main difference between sexes is that males have a bright purple throat. Esmeraldas woodstars are found only on the Pacific coast of west Ecuador in semi-deciduous to evergreen forests. They feed on the nectar of flowering shrubs and trees. The main threat to this species is deforestation. Esmeraldas woodstars are Vulnerable and require habitat protection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufous-crested coquette</span> Species of bird

The rufous-crested coquette is a species of hummingbird native to the tropical slopes of pacific South America. Due to its small size and population, it is a rare sight even within its native region. Males of the species can be easily distinguished by their striking rufous coloured spiked crests, and females, while less obvious, can be identified by their small size and rufous coloured foreheads.

<i>Arbutus xalapensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Arbutus xalapensis, commonly known as the Texas madrone, Amazaquitl, or Texas madroño, is a species of flowering plant in the heather family. It is native to Central America, the southwestern United States, and throughout Mexico. It is found in canyons and mountains, on rocky plains, and in oak woodlands, at altitudes of up to 3,000 m in the south of the range, but lower, down to 600 m in the north of the range.

<i>Phyllanthus anamalayanus</i> Species of flowering plant

Phyllanthus anamalayanus is a species of plant in the family Phyllanthaceae. It is endemic to the Anamalai Hills in Coimbatore district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The species is a shrub or small tree occurring in the understorey of mid-elevation tropical wet evergreen forests in the Anamalai Hills, and is endemic to the Western Ghats. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<i>Handroanthus chrysotrichus</i> Species of tree

Handroanthus chrysotrichus, synonym Tabebuia chrysotricha, commonly known as the golden trumpet tree, is a semi-evergreen/semi-deciduous tree from Brazil. It is very similar to and often confused with Tabebuia ochracea. In Portuguese it is called ipê amarelo and its flower is considered the national flower of Brazil.

<i>Myristica fragrans</i> Species of tree

Myristica fragrans is an evergreen tree indigenous to the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. It is important as the main source of the spices nutmeg and mace. It is widely grown across the tropics including Guangdong and Yunnan in China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Grenada in the Caribbean, Kerala in India, Sri Lanka and South America.

<i>Chiococca alba</i> Species of flowering plant

Chiococca alba is a species of flowering plant in the coffee family (Rubiaceae) native to Florida and the extreme southern tip of Texas in the United States, Bermuda, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, the Galápagos, and tropical South America. Common names include David's milkberry, West Indian milkberry, cahinca and West Indian snowberry. The specific epithet, alba, means "white" in Latin and refers to the color of its fruits.

Hypodaphnis is a monotypic genus of flowering plants of the family Lauraceae. Its only extant species, Hypodaphnis zenkeri, is native to Gabon. Although only one living species is known, fossils of some species of this genus are present in North America, especially in Northern Mexico. In most phylogenetic analysis, Hypodaphnis appears as the basal branch, the sister group of the rest of the family Lauraceae.

<i>Astianthus</i> Genus of trees

Astianthus is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the Bignoniaceae family. The sole species is Astianthus viminalis. It is known by the common names achuchil in Mexico and chilca in Guatemala and Honduras.

<i>Portlandia coccinea</i> Species of plant

Portlandia coccinea is a small tree or shrub with bright red flowers endemic to Jamaica. The species was first described in 1788. A population with darker flowers had been considered a subspecies of P. coccinea, but was described as a separate species, P. proctori, in 2003.

<i>Corokia cotoneaster</i> Species of flowering plant

Corokia cotoneaster is a flowering plant in the family Argophyllaceae was described by Étienne Fiacre Louis Raoul in 1846. This plant is commonly known as the wire-netting bush, korokio, or korokia-tarango. The word "Koriko" comes from the Māori language.

<i>Podranea ricasoliana</i> Species of plant in the genus Podranea

Podranea ricasoliana, called the pink trumpet vine, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Podranea, native to South Africa, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

References

  1. 1 2 Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) & IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group (2019). "Tecoma stans". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2019: e.T82858855A149060597. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T82858855A149060597.en . Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  2. theplantlist.org
  3. 1 2 3 "Tecoma stans". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  4. "Plants – Buck Island Reef". National Park Service (US). Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  5. Tecoma stans (L.) Kunth NEW SOUTH WALES FLORA ONLINE. PlantNet. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  6. Tecoma Stans (Yellow Bells) Gardenia.net. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  7. Mendonça, Luciana Baza; Anjos, Luiz dos (March 2005). "Beija-flores (Aves, Trochilidae) e seus recursos florais em uma área urbana do Sul do Brasil" [Hummingbirds (Aves, Trochilidae) and their flowers in an urban area of southern Brazil]. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia (in Portuguese). 22 (1): 51–59. doi: 10.1590/S0101-81752005000100007 .
  8. Tecoma stans (yellow bells) by Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  9. Asad, Muhammad Hassham Hassan Bin; Murtaza, Ghulam; Ubaid, Muhammad; Sajjad, Ashif; Mehmood, Rubada; Mahmood, Qaisar; Ansari, Muhammad Muzzmil; Karim, Sabiha; Mehmood, Zahid; Hussain, Izhar; Hussain, I (2014). "Naja naja karachiensis Envenomation: Biochemical Parameters for Cardiac, Liver, and Renal Damage along with Their Neutralization by Medicinal Plants". BioMed Research International. 2014: 970540. doi: 10.1155/2014/970540 . PMC   4022246 . PMID   24877153.
  10. Anand, Mukul; Basavaraju, R. (January 2021). "A review on phytochemistry and pharmacological uses of Tecoma stans (L.) Juss. ex Kunth". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 265: 113270. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2020.113270. PMID   32822823.
  11. Pallavi, K; Vishnavi, B; Mamatha; Prakash, K Vanitha; Amruthapriyanka, A (2014). "Phytochemical investigation and anti-microbial activity of Tecoma stans". World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research. 3 (2): 2070–2083.