trumpet creeper
Family
BignoniaceaeScientific Name
Campsis radicans
Other Common Names:
cow-itch
Synonyms (former Scientific Names):
Bignonia radicans
Tecoma radicans
Habit
Climbing, woody vine that can grow up to 12 meters long and has fibrous taproot with extensive rhizomes
Leaves
Opposite and composed of several similar leaflets also arranged oppositely from one another (pinnately compound). A single leaf may contain 7-15 lanceolate leaflets that are 1-3 inches long, 0.5-1.5 inches wide, and coarsely toothed.
Identifying Characteristics
A perennial woody vine with oppposite, pinnately compound leaves and trumpet shaped red-orange flowers.
Flower Seed Head
Showy red-orange trumpet shaped flowers (2-3 inches long) are produced in terminal clusters.
Seed Fruit
A long (10-15 cm), narrow capsule containing many winged seeds. Seed is about 15 mm long and there are several rows of seed per pod.
Where Found
Found in roadsides, cultivated fields, stream banks, fence rows and woods of the eastern US except for the far northern areas.
Growth Habit
vine
Thorns or Spines
not present
Approximate Flower Diameter
Varies:
quarter,
half dollar,
larger
Dominant Flower Color
Varies:
red,
orange
Flower Symmetry
bilateral symmetry
Leaf Hairs
no hairs
Leaf Shape
lance
Leaf Arrangement
opposite
Leaf Margin
serrated
Leaf Structure
pinnate
Leaf Stalk
Varies:
none,
shorter than leaf
Stem Hairs
no hairs
Stem Cross Section
round or oval
Milky Sap
not present
Root Structure
Varies:
fibrous,
taproot,
rhizomes present
Life Cycle
perennial
Ochrea
not present
Plant Type
Vine