Botanical name

Tecomaria capensis

Other names

Cape honeysuckle; Bignonia capensis; Tecoma; Kaapse kanferfoelie (Afrikaans)

Family

Bignoniaceae

Dimensions

Evergreen climbing shrub up to 4m and widely spreading

Description of stem

Many-branched smooth brown stems with conspicuous lenticels

Description of leaves

Imparipinnate with 2 to 5 pairs of shiny, smooth, undulating leaflets plus the terminal one

Description of flowers

Yellow (this form in cultivation only), orange and red tubular curved flowers appearing in terminal sprays; exserted style and stamens and copious quantities of nectar

Desciption of seed/fruit

Splitting flat capsule containing many papery winged seeds

Description of roots

Variation

Flower colour variations

Propagation and cultivation

Grows easily from seed or cuttings, may invade under favourable conditions

Tolerances

Uses

As a hedge or general garden plant

Ecological rarity

Common

Pests and diseases

Other

Recorded as a garden plant at Kew Gardens in the UK since 1823

Location

Forest edges, bushy valleys, and wooded areas where the general tree height is low

Distribution (SA provinces)

Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Kwazulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo

Country

South Africa, Mozambique