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In the Gardens

Golden Shower,

Orange Trumpet Vine

Pyrostegia venusta

Bloom Time

From November to February.

Characteristics

This climber develops up to 10 m (11 yd.) long shoots. The leaves are mostly organized threefold; they are elliptic to longish with a lopsided basis. At the bottom, the leaves are covered with red-brown hairs. The shining blossoms hang down in dense panicles that reach up to 6 cm (2,5‘‘) long and resemble tubes or funnels.

Site:

On Madeira, the Golden Shower is most likely to be cultivated on walls, fences and pergolas. It grows mainly in the south of the island, up to an altitude of about 350 m (385 yd.). You will often find it both in private gardens and in pub-lic parks (e.g. Botanical Garden, Funchal, 190).

Interesting to know:

The Golden Shower is native to Brazil. Now-adays it is cultivated globally in tropical and subtropical countries. Golden Shower is part of the Bignonia family (Bignoniaceae). The Cape Honeysuckle (Tecomaria capensis), plant native to South Africa, which blossoms all year round, is as well assigned to this group. You can also find this poorly climbing shrub being cultivated on Madeira, often next to the Golden Show-er. Its leaves are organized in groups of 6-9; its blossoms are also forming dense panicles. They grow upright and open to showy funnels.

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