Tecoma capensis (Thunb.) Lindl., Bignoniaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Evaluate, score: 6 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Tecomaria capensis (Thunb.) Spach

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Cape honeysucke

French: bignone, bouquet, chèvrefeuille du Cap, jasmin du Cap, técome

Hawaiian: ‘i‘iwi haole

Habit:  vine

Description:  "Vine-like shrub or shrub.  Leaves odd-pinnately compound, opposite, leaflets five to nine, blades ovate to round, 1-4 cm long with toothed margins.  Flowers continuously through the year; flowers several, borne in short terminal racemes or narrow panicles.  Corolla of fused petals, funnel-shaped, curved, 4-6 cm long, two-lipped with five oblong spreading lobes, bright orange or scarlet.  Fruit a narrow linear capsule 7-18 cm long, containing many winged seeds"  (Whistler, 2000; pp. 451-452).

"Large or small vines; leaflets 7-9, ovate to broadly elliptic, 1.5-3 cm long, acute or short-acuminate, coarsely serrate, somewhat pubescent, pilose beneath on the veins, stellate-tomentose along the costa; calyx 4-5 mm long, puberulent, costate; corolla orange-red, 4-5 cm long, glabrous, the lobes small and short; capsule linear, about 11 cm long and 8 mm broad, attenuate to each end" (Standley et al., 1974; p. 229).

Habitat/ecology:  "Cape honeysuckle thrives in wet or dry areas and prefers a well-drained, fertile soil with a pH of 5.5-6.5"  (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 189).

Propagation:  Seed.  Also reproduces from runners, rooting wherever they touch the ground (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 189).

Native range:  Mozambique, South Africa and Swaziland; widely cultivated in the subtropics (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island	introduced cultivated	McCormack, Gerald (2011)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) As Tecomaria capensis (Thunb.) Spach. Voucher cited: F.R. Fosberg & M.-H. Sachet 54546 (PAP) Planted.
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 253)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 23) Vouchers cited: Baumann 9877, MacKee 21114
Niue Niue	Niue Island	introduced cultivated	Sykes, W. R. (1970) (p. 51) Voucher cited: CHR 168868
Niue Niue	Niue Island	introduced cultivated	Yuncker, T. G. (1943) (p. 107) Voucher cited: Yuncker 9902 (BISH)
Papua New Guinea Bismarck Archipelago	Bismarck Archipelago	introduced cultivated	Peekel, P. G. [translated by E. E. Henty] (1984) (p. 508) Introduced ornamental scandent shrub, usually kept short as a hedge-plant.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive	Queensland Herbarium (2002) (p. 8)
China China	Hong Kong	introduced cultivated	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (pp. 257-258) Ornamental.
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 85) Cultivated only

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced cultivated	Lavergne, Christophe (2006) "Cultivé/subspontané"

Comments:  Reported occasionally naturalizing in tropical America, but not confirmed (Standley et al., 1974; p. 229).

Additional information:
Photos and additional information at the Environment Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, web site of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.
Information from the World Agroforestry Centre's AgroForestryTree Database.

Additional online information about Tecoma capensis is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Tecoma capensis as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Tecoma capensis may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. 2009. A checklist of the total vascular plant flora of Singapore: native, naturalised and cultivated species. Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore. 273 pp.

Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. 2011. Base de données botaniques Nadeaud de l'Herbier de la Polynésie Française (PAP). (online resource).

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce. 1979. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian dicotyledonae. Micronesica 15:1-295.

Lavergne, Christophe. 2006. List des especes exotiques envahissantes a La Reunion. Unpublished manuscript (Excel file). .

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

McCormack, Gerald. 2011. Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga.

Peekel, P. G. [translated by E. E. Henty]. 1984. Flora of the Bismarck Archipelago for naturalists. Office of Forests, Division of Botany, Lae, Papua New Guinea. 638 pp. ISBN 9980-66-000-7.

Queensland Herbarium. 2002. Invasive Naturalised Plants in Southeast Queensland, alphabetical by genus. Modified from: Batianoff, George N. and Butler, Don W. (2002). Assessment of Invasive naturalized plants in south-east Queensland. Appendix. Plant Protection Quarterly 17, 27-34. 11 pp.

Standley, Paul C./Williams, Louis O./Gibson, Dorothy Nash. 1974. Flora of Guatemala. Fieldiana: Botany. Vol. 24, Part X, Nos. 3-4. Chicago Natural History Museum. pp. 153-466.

Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. 2005. A tropical garden flora: plants cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and other tropical places. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 908 pp.

Sykes, W. R. 1970. Contributions to the flora of Niue. New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Bulletin 200, Wellington. 321 pp.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Whistler, W. A. 2000. Tropical ornamentals: a guide. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon. 542 pp.

Wu, Te-lin. 2001. Check List of Hong Kong Plants. Hong Kong Herbarium and the South China Institute of Botany. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department Bulletin 1 (revised). 384 pp.

Yuncker, T. G. 1943. The flora of Niue Island. Bishop Mus. Bull. 178. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 126 pp.