Family: Bignoniaceae
Common name: Yellow trumpetbush, Yellow elder, Yellow bells
The name says it all! It’s yellow, looks like a trumpet or like a bell but much prettier. It’s technically a shrub but grows as tall as 30 feet, filling your garden with bright yellow flowers. The flowers are mildly fragrant; attracting hummingbirds, butterflies and bees to pollinate them.
Flowers are always produced in clusters of 20-50, mainly during summer months. They then mature into thin, long, swirly pods that are light green initially, and gradually become darker. These pods contain many light winged seeds that can be dispersed over a large area by wind.
Yellow trumpetbushes needs very little maintenance, but lots of sunlight for it to bloom. Occasional pruning will prevent the plant for growing uneven and unruly. Roots of the plant are used to produce beer in some parts of the world. It has also been used as medicine for many common ailments. These plants are also good hedge plants since they grow quite thick, filling the area with beautiful flowers.
Yellow trumpetbushes also have a taller cousin in the same family, in the form of Markhamia lutea.
Propagation is through seeds.
