Talking Tecomanthes
Author & Photos: Maria Rosenfelder
Published: Journal December 2021
Image above: Tecomanthe hillii flowers. Photo Glenn Leiper
Tecomanthe vines belong to the Bignoniaceae family which also includes our Pandorea species. Pandorea flowers are smaller but bear a strong resemblance to Tecomanthe flowers in their tubular shape and clustered nature and the leaves are similarly pinnate in shape.
Tecomanthe hillii and Tecomanthe burungu (previously Tecomanthe sp. Roaring Meg) are the two native Australian species. T. hillii Fraser Island Creeper is a coastal species on sandy soil in rainforests north from Bli Bli to Fraser Island. T. burungu is from the Daintree area in Far North Queensland.
The most widespread non-native is Tecomanthe dendrophila (previously T. venusta). It occurs from the Moluccas, throughout New Guinea, and east into New Britain and the Solomon Islands.
For many years nurseries were unknowingly selling T. dendrophila, labelling it T. hillii or T. Roaring Meg. Many of those vines would still be growing in gardens today.
How can you tell them apart?
The main distinguishing feature of T. dendrophila is the cluster of hairs at the base of the stamens. These hairs are not present in T. hillii or T. burungu.
Tecomanthe dendrophia – cluster of hairs at the base of stamens. Photo Glen Leiper
Large cluster of T. dendrophila flowers
Purple calyx of T. dendrophila
Pale dots (lenticels) on the stems of T. dendrophila
Generally T. dendrophila is faster growing and more vigorous. It has the largest flowers of the three species, up to 110mm long, and the calyx is purple or purplish.
All stems and branches show an abundance of pale lenticels. They are more noticeable on the young and darker branchlets but are still present on older wood.
If you have now determined that your vine is not T. dendrophila, what then are the differences between T. hillii and T. burungu?
T. burungu has prominently raised calyx midribs which T. hillii does not have. The calyx is funnel-shaped with erect lobes, whereas the T. hillii calyx is bell-shaped with spreading lobes.
The T. burungu calyx is green, compared to T. hillii which is light green or pinkish.
T. burungu has larger flowers, up to 85mm long compared to 70mm for T. hillii.
Both species have pinnate leaves with 3-5 leaflets with a terminal leaflet. The leaves of T. burungu have prominently raised veins on the leaf underside, whereas the veins on the leaves of T. hillii are not or only slightly raised.
Flowers of Tecomanthe burungu. Photo Garry Sankowsky
Ribbed calyx of T. burungu. Photo Garry Sankowsky
T.hillii flowers, no midribs on calyx. Photo Glenn Leiper
Some other species of Tecomanthe:
T. speciosa grows on one of the Three Kings Islands, a group of uninhabited islands off the northern tip of New Zealand. When two botanists visited these islands they discovered the sole surviving plant of this Tecomanthe species, all other plants having been eaten by goats. The goats were eradicated and the plant survived. To this day this is the only plant growing in the wild. It has been propagated and is now sold by nurseries. Its large flowers are greenish-white to pale yellow (picture). Young stems are black with prominent white lenticels.
T. dendrophila cv Shannon is a fast growing and strong climber with very large flowers. T. dendrophila ‘flava’ is another cultivar, this one with yellow flowers. T. ternatensis has white flowers turning pink as they age. Its range is from the Moluccas east to northwest New Guinea. T. volubilis
grows in mossy forests at altitude and has rose-pink flowers. Endemic to New Guinea. T. montana has finer leaves and pink flowers with yellow centres. From New Guinea. T. hillii ‘Edna Walling Island Belle’ appears to be a smaller cultivar of T. hillii, 2-10m in height and 1-2m in width, suitable for containers.
Tecomanthe vines are well worth a place in any garden because of their stunning flowers and relative ease in growing them provided you can keep them frost-free and regularly watered in drier areas. However, if you want a pure native garden, check on the accuracy of the plant label. But even if the plant label is incorrect and you end up with the exotic Tecomanthe dendrophila, you’ll still get a spectacular vine that will bring magnificent colour to your garden.
Pale dots (lenticles) on the stems of T. speciosa
Flowers of T. speciosa
T.dendrophila ‘flava’. Photo Marguerite Newby
T.dendrophila cv Shannon