The Bignoniaceae family includes some of the most striking plants I have ever seen. They are showy for sure, but in a good way as far as I'm concerned. My experience of them has been mainly on the west coast, although they are found throughout the tropical world and also some subtropical and temperate regions, such as the southern U.S.
It is hard not to be enchanted with the Jacaranda tree, with its lavish springtime display of lavender flowers that gently litter the ground, as the one seen above in Santa Barbara is doing. While there are nearly 50 species in the Jacaranda genus, I believe the one most commonly used as a street tree in California is Jacaranda mimosifolia, a native of Brazil.
Another eye-popper is the Catalpa, not only for its insanely showy flowers, but its enormous heart-shaped leaves. The leaves are the really distinctive thing about these trees that caught my eye as soon as I encountered them in the Salinas Valley. Evidently they were brought here, since the Southern Catalpa (bignoniodes) is native to the Gulf Coast and the Northern Catalpa (speciosa) to the Midwest. The long, skinny bean pods are also unmistakeable.
At one time Royal Paulownia (Paulownia tomentosa) was considered an Asian counterpart to the Catalpas, due to its similar leaves, but has since been placed in a family of its own. Evidently the presumed relatedness did not stand up to genetic testing.
One well known North American member of the family is trumpet vine (Campsis radicans), native to the south and well liked by humans and hummingbirds alike. Seen below are some of its beautiful flowers and pods, photographed by Kate in Louisiana.
Also loved by hummingbirds is Cape honeysuckle (Tecoma capensis), a South African import that gets a lot of play by California landscapers. It made an attractive hedge along a swimming pool in Tustin, where I first noticed it. Whereas trumpet vine makes an attractive hedge along a car wash in Salinas, which is where I noticed it the other day.
No comments:
Post a Comment