#772 Tecoma stans Common Names: yellow elder, trumpetbush, yellowbells, ginger-thomas, tronadora Family: Bignoniaceae (bignonia Family) Get link to this Profile or click for data record #772

The yellow elder shows off its sunshiny flowers to best advantage against rich green foliage.

Common yellow elder (Tecoma stans var. stans) is a Central and South American tree that grows to 25 ft (7.6 m). It has bright yellow flowers and dense, lushly green foliage that is evergreen in tropical climates, but deciduous in chillier places. It is reliably hardy only down to 28ºF (-2.2ºC), though the roots may survive temperatures into the low twenties. Arizona yellow bells (T. stans var. angustata), which comes from the Chihuahuan Desert in Texas and New Mexico, is a 10 ft (3.1 m) deciduous shrub, which is hardy to 10ºF (-12.2ºC) and can be grown as a herbaceous perennial to Zone 7. It has relatively small flowers and lacy foliage made up of narrow, deeply toothed leaves. 'Gold Star Esperanza' is intermediate between var. angustata and var. stans. It grows to 3-4 ft (0.9-1.2 m) as an annual and is marketed as a Zone 9 patio tub plant. Whereas other yellow elder varieties do not bloom until they are medium-sized shrubs, 'Gold Star Esperanza' begins flowering even as a liner and is therefore more readily marketable in the nursery trade. T. alata is a very similar Argentine native that is root-hardy to at least 6ºF (-14.4º C). It looks like T. stans var. angustata, but has orange flowers. It is sold under the name 'Orange Jubilee'. 'Burnt Out' is a hybrid of T. alata and T. stans var. stans. It has burnt orange flowers and can be grown as a perennial in Zone 7. 'Orange Bells' (Tecoma x smithii) is a cross of T. arequipensis and T. stans. T. chrysantha has larger flower clusters and more dramatically serrated leaf margins. T. gaudichaudii (a.k.a. T. castanifolia), which has naturalized in the Miami area and the Dry Tortugas, has similar flowers but simple leaves.

Location
Tecoma stans comes from desert shrublands and dry forests in the region from Texas and Arizona southward to Argentina. It has become established in many parts of the Pacific and is naturalizing in South Florida. In South Florida, it invades dry disturbed sites, pine rocklands, and rockland hammocks. In the Pacific, it prefers wet or mesic sites.

Culture
Yellow elder will grow on a wide variety of soils, including sand and limerock. The plants can be cut to the ground for rejuvenation in the early spring or carefully sheared during the growing season to control shape and size and promote new flushes of flowers.
Light: This species needs full sun.
Moisture: Yellow elder likes well drained soil. Potted plants should be given minimal water when not in active growth.
Hardiness: USDA Zones 7 - 11. Freeze tolerance varies dramatically, with some forms able to survive temperatures down to around 10ºF (-12.2º C) and others severely injured by only a few degrees of frost.
Propagation: Fresh seeds germinate readily in sandy soil in the spring. Cuttings root easily under mist in the summer. (Choose vigorous young semi-woody branch tips - not old woody stems or fresh green shoots.) Bottom heat will encourage rooting in cooler weather.

We think this yellow elder in Steve's garden is 'Gold Star Esperanza' since it began blooming when it was young and small.

Yellow elder has been used for a variety of purposes in herbal medicine. Its primary applications have been in treating diabetes and digestive problems. Extracts from Tecoma stans leaves have been found to inhibit the growth of the yeast infection, Candida albicans. Yellow elder also contains several compounds noted for their catnip-like effects on felines.

Features
Yellow elder is just beginning to get the horticultural recognition it deserves. This is an easy to grow and gloriously floriferous plant that has great potential in the nursery industry. Yellow elder is the official flower of the U.S. Virgin Islands, where its cheerful yellow blossoms have long been appreciated for their contribution to tropical color.

Cape honeysuckle (Tecomaria capensis) is a winter flowering, vine-like shrub from South Africa that used to be included in Tecoma.

WARNING
Yellow elder can be invasive. It seems only moderately so in Florida and most other places, but readily establishes naturalized colonies on some Pacific islands. It has become a serious problem in French Polynesia, where it forms dense stands that inhibit regeneration of other plant species.

Linda Conway Duever 8/15/00; updated 10/26/03

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