Tabebuia aurea  

Tabebuia aurea (Manso) Benth. & Hook. fil. ex S. Moore

Family : Bignoniaceae 

Common Name   : കരീബിയൻ ട്രമ്പറ്റ്  ട്രീ(Mal)

         Caribbean Trumpet Tree (Eng)

Small evergreen tree to 8 m high; bark rough, corky. Leaves opposite, dgitately compound; leaflets 5 - 7, oblong, obtuse at base and apex, 6 - 15 x 1.2-1.5 cm, silvery-scaly on both surfaces; petiole to 12 cm long; petiolule up to 3 cm long. Flowers yellow, 5-7 cm long, in terminal racememose panicle, mostly leafless when flowering. Calyx tubular, irregularly lobed. Corolla funnel-shaped with irregular spreading limb, lobes oblong, margins wavy. Stamens 4, didynamous. Capsule linear, up to 20 cm long. 

Beautiful blooming trees, the Tabebuias are small, 15 to 25-foot tall, evergreen trees with silvery foliage and deeply furrowed, silvery bark on picturesque, contorted branches and trunk. The crown is usually asymmetrical with two or three major trunks or branches dominating the crown. The leaves are narrow and elongated, an identifying feature of the tree. Sporadically throughout the year, they put on a brilliant display composed of a multitude of two to three-inch-long, golden yellow, trumpet-shaped blooms borne in terminal flower clusters. The leaves often drop just before the flowers appear. Even without the flowers this Tabebuia is a magnificent tree with its crooked trunk, corky bark, and silvery leaves. This Tabebuia is very easy to grow and bloom and its only drawback is its soft wood, making it very susceptible to damage during strong winds. Tabebuia caraiba can be also be grown in containers, specially small ones, which eventually can turn the tree into a large bonsai specimen.

Uses :  An Exotic Garden plant

Distribution : Native to Tropical America

Flowering & Fruiting : December-April