Trumpet Flower, a popular name especially for tecoma radicans, used with a prefix for other related plants. The genus tecoma (from the Mexican name), separated from Big-nonia on account of a structural difference in the pods, consists of about 50 species, mostly trees and natives of tropical America. The trumpet flower, T. radicans, is a woody vine, climbing to a great height by abundant rootlets produced along the stem; the pinnate leaves have 5 to 11 ovate, toothed, pointed leaflets; the flowers, in midsummer or later, are in corymbs; the corolla is tubular-funnel-shaped, 2 to 3 in. long, with five somewhat irregular lobes, within which the four stamens are included; the fruit is a two-celled pod, containing numerous winged seeds. This, which is often called trumpet creeper, is found from Pennsylvania and Illinois southward, and is very common in cultivation, it being vigorous and perfectly hardy, soon covering a large space, and reaching to the height of 60 ft.; it blooms in July and August, when flowers are scarce, and the abundance of its orange and scarlet bloom makes it very showy.

It is a useful vine to drape a tree that is not in itself pleasing, and to cover the sides of brick or stone buildings; its faults are a tendency to become naked below, which may be remedied by cutting back, and an abundant production of suckers; it should not be planted near borders, as its roots extend a long distance. - Big-nonia capreolata is a closely related climber, with a more southern range; its leaves consist of but two leaflets and a terminal tendril; its flowers, similar to those of the preceding, are orange; this is known in the southern states as cross-vine, as the wood cut transversely shows a cross. The great-flowered trumpet flower (tecoma grandijiora), from China and Japan, in its garden varieties, is a very showy climber; it does not reach very high, and has narrower leaflets than our native species and much larger flowers, which are bell-shaped and 3 in. across; in some varieties they are very dark-colored; it is scarcely hardy north of New York city. - Some species are cultivated in greenhouses, the most frequent being T. Ca-pemis, with curved orange flowers, and T. jas-minoides, from Australia, with bright green leaves, and white flowers which are purplish on the throat.

The related Bignonia venusta, from Brazil, with crimson flowers, is a gorgeous climber for a warm greenhouse. A very neat non-climbing shrub is tecoma stans, of southern Florida and northern Mexico; it is about 4 ft. high, with large clusters of lemon-yellow flowers; it is hardy at Washington.

Trumpet Flower (Tecoma radicans).

Trumpet Flower (Tecoma radicans).