Handroanthus chrysotrichus

Handroanthus chrysotrichus, synonym Tabebuia chrysotricha, commonly known as the golden trumpet tree, is a semi-evergreen/semi-deciduous (shedding foliage for a short period in late spring)[1] tree from Brazil. It is very similar to and often confused with Tabebuia ochracea. In Portuguese it is called ipê amarelo and its flower is considered the national flower of Brazil.

Handroanthus chrysotrichus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Bignoniaceae
Genus: Handroanthus
Species:
H. chrysotrichus
Binomial name
Handroanthus chrysotrichus
(Mart. ex DC.) Mattos
Synonyms

Gelseminum chrysotrichum (Mart. ex A. DC.) Kuntze
Handroanthus chrysotrichus (Mart. ex A. DC.) Mattos
Handroanthus chrysotrichus var. obtusata (A. DC.) Mattos
Handroanthus pedicellatus (Bureau & K. Schum. ex Mart.) Mattos
Tabebuia chrysotricha var. obtusata (A. DC.) Toledo
Tabebuia flavescens
Tabebuia pedicellata
Tecoma chrysotricha Mart. ex A. DC.M
Tecoma chrysotricha var. obtusata (A. DC.) Bureau & K. Schum. ex Mart.
Tecoma flavescens (Velloso) Mart. ex A. DC.
Tecoma grandis F. Kränzl.
Tecoma obtusata A. DC.
Tecoma ochracea var. denudata Cham. Tecoma pedicellata Bureau & K. Schum. ex Mart.

Growth

Handroanthus chrysotrichus grows to a height of 5 to 8 m (15 to 25 ft), sometimes up to 20 m (50 ft),[1] with a spread of 8 to 11 m (25 to 35 ft). It has very showy golden-yellow to red flowers in the spring. These are rich in nectar and thus the tree is a useful honey plant. While it is not especially popular with hummingbirds, some of these – e.g. glittering-bellied emerald (Chlorostilbon lucidus) and white-throated hummingbird (Leucochloris albicollis) – seem to prefer them over the flowers of other Tabebuia species.[2]

The golden trumpet tree is grown outside Brasil as a street tree and garden tree. The USDA rates it for hardiness zones 9b through 11, and moderately drought-tolerant.

Concern has been raised that it is becoming a weed in tropical and sub-tropical Australia, though it has not yet been declared.[3]

Taxonomy

A 2007 DNA study of various members classified in the genus Tabebuia showed that the taxon was polyphyletic, and two genera were resurrected to separate these members into three separate clades: Roseodendron, Handroanthus, and Tabebuia.[4] Tabebuia chrysotricha was moved to Handroanthus chrysotrichus, characterized by the hardness of its wood and high lapachol content.[4]

  • Trunk
  • Fruit
  • Flowers

References
  1. Gilman, Edward F.; Watson, Dennis G. (21 March 2007). "ENH-772/ST614: Tabebuia chrysotricha: Golden Trumpet Tree". edis.ifas.ufl.edu. University of Florida. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  2. Baza Mendonça & dos Anjos (2005)
  3. Technigro Australia Pty. Ltd (2013)
  4. Susan O. Grose and R. G. Olmstead

Further reading
  • Baza Mendonça, Luciana & dos Anjos, Luiz (2005): Beija-flores (Aves, Trochilidae) e seus recursos florais em uma área urbana do Sul do Brasil [Hummingbirds (Aves, Trochilidae) and their flowers in an urban area of southern Brazil]. [Portuguese with English abstract] Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 22(1): 51–59. doi:10.1590/S0101-81752005000100007 PDF fulltext
  • Susan O. Grose and R. G. Olmstead (2007): Taxonomic Revisions in the Polyphyletic Genus Tabebuia s. l. (Bignoniaceae). Systematic Botany "32"(3):660-670. doi:10.1600/036364407782250652 abstract
  • Technigro Australia Pty. Ltd. (2013): Weed Watch: Golden Trumpet Tree Tabebuia Chrysotricha http://www.technigro.com.au/documents/GoldenTrumpetTree.pdf


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