Campsis radicans
David G. Smith, Delaware Wildflowers
Trumpet Creeper is a
woody vine
which grows up to 30 feet tall. The main stem can grow about
seven inches wide. The leaves
of Trumpet Creeper have between seven and eleven
leaflets.
Each leaflet is one to three inches long, dark green, with
teeth. Trumpet Creeper can grow
in woods or fields, but is most often seen at forest edges
or streambanks. This vine uses aerial
rootlets
(tiny roots which grab onto trees, bushes, other vines,
fences, or walls) to climb upwards. On its own, without
anything to climb, Trumpet Creeper would take the form of a
small shrub.
Floridata.com Alice B.
Russell Trumpet Creeper is best
known for its magnificent flowers. These bright red blossoms
grow up to three inches long. This vine blooms from
June to September. The fruits of Trumpet
Creeper are long pods,
three to six inches long. Each pod is packed with many flat
seeds. These lightweight seeds
are designed to travel by wind. In a new location, a seed
may grow into a new vine. Salisbury University
Arboretum Salisbury University
Arboretum Trumpet Creeper grows
quickly and can sometimes crowd other plants. The flowers of this plant
are a major food source of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. They,
along with Bumblebees, are one of the few animals which can
reach the nectar
inside the long flowers. Trumpet Creeper depends
on these animals to pollinate
flowers. Each time a hummingbird visits a flower, it gets
pollen
on its head, which it delivers to the next
flower. Trumpet Creeper is
sometimes called "Cow Itch" because contact with leaves can
cause a rash in some animals, especially cows. Wildflowers of
Houston
