Campsis radicans (L.) Seem., trumpet creeper, devil’s shoelaces, trumpet–honeysuckle. Liana (woody climber on trees) or ± shrub (fence rows), fall–deciduous, shrubs in range to 200 cm tall; shoots with only cauline leaves, foliage short–hirsute on lower surface.
Stems somewhat 4–sided aging cylindric, with shallow groove with short hairs between leaf bases; stems of vigorous shoots soon becoming woody with orangish brown periderm.
Leaves opposite decussate to whorled (vigorous principal shoot), odd–1–pinnately compound with (2—)3—5(—6) pairs of lateral leaflets, petiolate, without stipules; petiole narrowly and shallowly channeled, 22—33 mm long, upper surface with ca. 7 circular pits (extrafloral nectaries) just above leaf axil; rachis channeled and also on upper side with furrow between leaf pairs, lower pairs spaced 14—35 mm apart and decreasing upward, short–tomentose in furrow; petiolules strongly 2–ridged on upper side with the ridges upright and wavy, 4—7 mm long; blades of leaflets symmetric (terminal leaflet) and asymmetric (lateral leaflets), ovate to broadly lanceolate, 21—65 × 8—43 mm, tapered at base but of lateral leaflets conspicuously oblique (broader on leading edge), serrate to low–serrate on margins, acuminate to acute at tip, pinnately veined with most veins sunken on upper surface and principal veins raised on lower surface, upper surface glabrous, lower surface having white radiating short hairs along veins.
Inflorescence condensed panicle, terminal, of closely spaced, opposite decussate 3–flowered dichasial cymes, many–flowered but often some buds aborting, inconspicuously bracteate, glabrous; rachis < 12 nodes, knobby with scars where cymes abscised; bract subtending cyme and bractlet subtending lateral pedicels of cyme appressed, awl–shaped, 2—2.5 mm long, reddish; pedicel cylindric, 7—9 × 2.5—3 mm, of terminal flower > lateral flowers, light yellow–green.
Flower bisexual, somewhat bilateral, ca. 40 mm across; lacking fragrance; calyx appearing 3–lobed (5–lobed with 2 pairs incompletely separated), outer surface glabrous and inner surface with scattered subsessile glandular hairs; tube long bell–shaped, ca. 20 × 10 mm, 1 mm thick, in range outer surface orange and inner surface lighter orange; lobes unequal, acuminate–triangular, 14 × 6 mm (lower lobe), 7 × 5 mm (lateral lobes), and 8—9 × 6 mm (asymmetric upper lobes), lateral and upper lobe weakly fused, reddish orange; corolla weakly 2–lipped, conspicuously 5–lobed, in range 72—78 mm long; tube cylindric, 15—18 × 5—5.5 mm, at base light orangish yellow or greenish to yellow–orange at top, glabrous; throat narrowly funnel–shaped with orifice ca. 15 × 19 mm across, outer surface red–orange, inner surface with 20+ crimson nectar lines alternating with red–orange; upper “lip” 2–lobed, lower “lip” 3–lobed, lobes spreading, overlapping at center, roundish to obovate, in range 15—16 × 15—18 mm, upper surface scarlet and lower surface red–orange, papillate–ciliate on rounded margins, in bud lower surface with several ephemeral minute hairs; stamens 4 fertile + 1 staminode, attached at top of corolla tube with anthers positioned on upper side; staminode in center, = filament, cylindric, 10—12 mm long, at tip resembling shepherd’s staff or club–shaped at tip; filaments of fertile stamens of unequal, flanking staminode ± 25 mm long, on outer side ± 37 mm long, much thicker than staminode, pale light orange on swollen base to orange at top, swollen bases with abundant subsessile glandular hairs; anthers dorsifixed, dithecal with sacs widely spreading, 4.7—5.2 mm long, light yellow and white, of long stamens slightly exserted, with short purplish–red point at tip, longitudinally and outwardly dehiscent; pollen light yellow; nectary disc beneath ovary ringlike, 1.5 × 4.5 mm, ± glossy green, producing copious thin nectary; pistil 1, ± 60 mm long, not exserted, stalked, the stalk at anthesis 1 mm long; ovary superior, narrowly ovoid, ca. 7 × 3 mm, light green, with 2 opposite ridges ⊥ septum along midlines of chambers, 2–chambered, each chamber with many ovules along 2 lines (placentas) attached to septum in center; style cylindric, pale green at base to whitish above, 2–branched, the branches spreading when receptive at level of long anthers, thin, flat, and flaplike, ovate, ca. 6 × 3.5 mm, jagged above midpoint and stigmatic on upper (inner) surface.
Fruit capsule, loculicidal, dehiscent, 2–valved, many–seeded, narrowly ellipsoid and straight to curving upward and acuminate at tip, in range ca. 145—190 × 14—15 mm, brownish, with conspicuous ridge on top and bottom, valves leathery, dehiscing along 2 ridges and spreading, wall not veiny, surface having widely scattered, craterlike bumps (stomatal chimneys), glabrous; stalk (between calyx and fruit) cylindric, to 20 mm long, woody; seeds layered in ribbonlike sheets 1 seed wide.
Seed 2–winged and extremely thin and flat, oblong (elliptic) in outline, 16.5—19 × 7.5—8.3 mm, seed body ± roundish in outline, in range ca.6.5 mm, brown, lateral wings membranous drying papery, roundish but also jagged or somewhat irregular, 5—6 mm long, light tan, with a narrow membranous margin by seed chamber, wings not hairlike.
A. C. Gibson