Tabebuia chrysantha seeds Golden Trumpet Tree
LATIN NAME: Tabebuia chrysantha
COMMON NAME: Golden Trumpet Tree, Araguaney, Ipê-amarelo
The golden trumpet tree is one of the most spectacular flowering trees in the world, and it turns whole hillsides to gold. It grows as a medium to tall deciduous tree, reaching twenty-five metres or more, with a broad, spreading crown of palmately compound leaves, and it flowers at the height of the dry season, when the tree is bare, covering itself completely in dense clusters of large, trumpet-shaped, golden-yellow flowers. The effect is breathtaking, a solid blaze of gold against the dry landscape, and it lasts for weeks. It is so loved that it was declared the national tree of Venezuela, and it is planted in gardens and along streets across the tropics.
The golden trumpet tree belongs to the trumpet-creeper family, Bignoniaceae, and it is native to the intertropical deciduous forests of South America, where it grows in seasonally dry country. It is known by many names across the continent, and it thrives in warm, sunny, well-drained conditions.
Positive & Encouraging Seed Germination Guide
Growing a golden trumpet tree from seed is easy and very rewarding. The seeds sit inside long, slender pods that split open when ripe, releasing numerous winged seeds. Sow them in pots of free-draining compost in spring, cover them lightly, and keep them warm, bright and evenly moist. Germination usually begins within two to four weeks. Pot the seedlings on as they grow and plant them out in a sunny, sheltered, well-drained spot, protecting them from cold. The young trees grow well in warmth, and within a few years they will reward you with their astonishing golden bloom.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The golden trumpet tree has a genuine place in both ecological and phytochemical research. As the national tree of Venezuela and one of the most emblematic trees of South America, it has been studied for its ecology, its flowering and its role in the seasonally dry forests where it grows, and researchers have examined how it flowers so abundantly at the height of the dry season. The genus Handroanthus has also been studied in phytochemistry, since the related species produce valuable compounds, and the golden trumpet tree has been studied for its ornamental value and its cultivation across the tropics. In recent years, the species has also been of interest in research on urban trees and land restoration in warm regions. For a tree of such beauty and such national importance, the golden trumpet tree has a bright and growing record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, the golden trumpet tree is a keystone of the dry tropical forest. Its golden flowers feed bees, hummingbirds and other pollinators at the height of the dry season, when little else is in bloom, and its seeds feed birds and small mammals.
Its economic value lies mainly in ornamental horticulture and forestry. It is one of the most popular flowering trees in the tropics, planted in gardens, parks and along streets for its spectacular bloom, and it is also valued in land restoration and as a timber tree in parts of its range. For a grower, the golden trumpet tree is a tree of rare beauty, and for a gardener it brings a solid blaze of golden bloom that is simply unforgettable.
Golden Trumpet Tree
THE SPECTACULAR GOLDEN TRUMPET TREE
GENUS TABEBUIA CHRYSANTHA
Tabebuia chrysantha is commonly known as the Golden Trumpet Tree for its trumpet shaped golden yellow flowers . A rounded tree from 5 to 8 metres tall, it has upright habit, often with ropy spreading to semi-weeping branches and lance-shaped, mid green leaves covered with tiny hairs. The spectacular trumpet shaped golden yellow flowers are sweetly scented to 10 cm in length and 5 cm in diameter. The young leaves, young branches and flower buds are covered with tiny golden yellow hairs, giving this tree a wonderful golden/olive cast.
