Campsis grandiflora (Thunb.) K.Schum.
Vernacular name: Chinese Trumpet Creeper, Chinese Trumpet Vine, Chinese Campsis
Species Name: Campsis grandiflora (Thunb.) K.Schum. (syn. Tecoma grandiflora (Thunb.) Loisel.)
Family: Bignoniaceae
Habit: Deciduous, woody climbing plant or liana, commonly cultivated as an ornamental for its large, attractive flowers.
Stem: Woody, slender and climbing; branches may become somewhat spreading; the plant climbs with the aid of aerial structures associated with the stem.
Leaf: Opposite, pinnately compound, usually with 5–9 ovate to elliptic leaflets; leaflets coarsely toothed, acute to cuspidate at the apex.
Flowering: Summers, May- September
Flowers: Large, showy, orange-red to red, trumpet-shaped; corolla tube about 3.5–5 cm long with 5 spreading lobes; flowers are particularly conspicuous because of their large size and bright colour. Inflorescence narrow terminal panicle, bearing several large trumpet-shaped flowers.
Fruit: A long, narrow capsule
Uses:
- Herbal practices uses plant for managing and regulating rheumatoid joint pain, menstrual disorders, traumatic injuries, difficult urination and skin conditions like oozing dermatophytosis and pruritus.
- In Asian traditional medicines, decoction of flowers are used as blood tonic.
- Plant can be used as depurative diuretic, carminative and febrifuge.
- Extracts of flowers has antioxidant properties and used in cosmetic industry in serums and moisturizers.
- Plant is a fast-growing climber and can be used to decorate walls, arbors, fences and large trellises or can be planted to cover rocky areas or tree stumps on ground.
- The trumpet shaped large red or orange flowers attracts humming birds and long-tongued bees.
