Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicans) Profile

Figure 1. Trumpet vine flowers. Photo credit:
Stan Shebs taken at the Desert Demonstration
Garden in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2003

This post is one of a series from Botany professor Nisse Goldberg's students at Jacksonville University. Student author: Tayler Massey

The trumpet vine, otherwise known as Campsis radicans, is a plant you’ve probably seen many times and don’t even realize you’ve seen it! The trumpet vine is a native plant to Florida, but can also be found in many areas throughout the eastern, southeastern, and southwestern parts of the United States.

The plant can survive at any time during the year, if it is given the right conditions to grow. The trumpet vine grows best in coarse to medium grain soils with neutral pH levels. So long as the soil remains moist, the trumpet vine does not need an abundance of water, but it does need a great deal of sunlight. It is best if planted in the open rather than in the shade.

Once established the trumpet vine is very tolerant to fluctuations in heat, cold, and rainfall. They can grow very rapidly and if not managed, can climb up and over other plants and structures such as fences. In fact, the edges of the oblong leaves have ridges to aid the plant in climbing upwards, growing up to 12 and 36 feet!

You can enjoy their brilliant red and orange flowers during the summer and autumn months (Figure 1). The flower’s nectar attracts pollinators such as hummingbirds and long tongued bees. The trumpet vine also produces little fruits of a brown color.

The only precaution to take around the trumpet vine is that their sap has been known to cause skin irritation. Otherwise, trumpet vine flowers are planted for their beauty in the summer and fall months, much loved for their deep orange and red flowers. Some people use them as ornamentation on arbors and gazebos or as cover on barrier walls and fences. Trumpet vine seeds can be purchased at local nurseries. So what are you waiting for? It’s calling your name!

To purchase this plant, please check the FANN website for vendors: http://www.floridanativenurseries.org/plants/detail/campsis-radicans

Works Cited:

"Campsis Radicans (L.) Seem Ex Bureau Trumpet Creeper." Natural Resources Conservation Service. United States Department of Agriculture. Web. 5 Nov. 2011: http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=CARA2.

"Campsis Radicans (Trumpet Creeper) NPIN." Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – The University of Texas at Austin. Web. 05 Nov. 2011: http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CARA2.

"Plant Profile: Trumpet Vine - Orlando Sentinel." Featured Articles From The Orlando Sentinel. 20 June 2010. Web. 05 Nov. 2011: http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2010-06-20/features/os-maccubbin-plant-profile-trumpet-vi20100620_1_campsis-radicans-trumpet-vine-rampant-grower.