Trumpet Creeper, Campsis radicans (L.) Seem. ex Bureau

The Pink Trumpet Creeper (Campsis radicans (L.) Seem. ex Bureau) appears to have survived last night's cold temperatures. I've been enjoying its brilliant blooms through November. I have owned this plant for a decade and have planted pieces of it in Daytona and Deltona. . .where it has infrequently bloomed.

This specimen is growing in clay fill that supports the back of this house. It is in the full afternoon sun which has presumably promoted the abundant blooms.

Last night, the closest NOAA weather station, in Sanford, Florida reported a low of 37 F. between 3 and 5:00 AM, with a then-dewpoint of 32 F. That's cold enough for substantial frost. We're located atop a sandhill at some elevation so we can assume that it was colder still, here.

I awoke assuming that the Trumpet Creeper and everything else would have been badly damaged by the cold weather.

I don't bother with moving and covering plants when the frost is coming so frequently and early in the season. Climatologically speaking, we have 9 more weeks of potential damaging frost at this latitude. . . so it will be survival of the fittest this season.

And once again I was pleased to see that most of the plants seem to have weathered the cold.

MORE ON Campsis radicans (L.) Seem. ex Bureau:

Some alternate names include Bignonia radicans, cow-itch, Gelseminum radicans, Tecoma radicans, Tecoma speciosa, trumpet flower, trumpet vine.

Trumpet Creeper is in the Bignonia Family (Bignoniaceae). Trumpet creeper is a deciduous or partly evergreen vine that climbs by aerial rootlets and twining stems. This is a U.S. native. Stems can grow up to 12 m long and have numerous aerial rootlets. Leaves are opposite, pinnately compound and coarsely toothed, composed of 7, 9, or 11 leaflets. Leaflets are somewhat shiny and dark green. Flowers are yellow-orange to red, tubular, and up to 8 cm long and 4 cm wide at the mouth. Flowers are born in clusters of four to a dozen and bloom from July through August at high latitudes and year round in Florida. The fruit is a flat, tapered capsule, 8-13 cm long with seeds that are flat and winged.

Distinguishing characters of trumpet creeper include its U-shaped bundle scars on the stem, abundant root-like aerial stems, opposite compound leaves that are coarsely toothed, large trumpet-shaped flowers, and its light tan bark that appears flaky on mature stems.

Trumpet creeper is native to eastern, north-central, and south-central portions of the United States and has become naturalized in New England. Its natural range occurs from New Jersey to Ontario and Iowa, and south to Florida and Texas.

This plant normally produces orange or red flowers. The specimen I have was advertised as producing pink flowers. Until recently it had not produced any flowers, so when these pink flowers appeared I was quite pleased but found the ultimate identification harder, as almost all versions of this plant produce flowers from orange to blood red.


Warning: Contact with the leaves and flowers of trumpet creeper results in skin redness and swelling among mammals. It is also slightly toxic if ingested.