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Common Name: Trumpet Creeper, Cow-itch Vine
Scientific Name: Campsis radicans
Family: Bignoniaceae
Woodland Drive
Columbus, North Carolina
June 17, 2002
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This native woody vine, sometimes cultivated for the showy, trumpet-shaped, 3 - 4 inch long flowers, often becomes a troublesome weed. Only this species of Campsis occurs in the southeastern U.S.; a second is native to Asia. Trumpet Creeper grows along fence rows and the margins of low woods and thickets throughout our state, although it is infrequent in the mountains. June - July [Justice, William S. and Bell, C. Ritchie, Wild Flowers of North Carolina. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, 1968]
A climbing vine, with leaves in pairs and divided into many pointed, toothed segments. Flower color varies from red to orange. Skin irritation has resulted from handling the plant in some persons. June - July [Gupton, Oscar W. and Swope, Fred C. Wildflowers of the Shenandoah Valley and Blue Ridge Mountains. The University Press of Virginia, Charlottesville, 1979]
This low-growing vine is widespread throughout the low elevations of the Smokies and nearby foothills, where it is seen on roadside fences. The flower clusters, consisting of bright orange "trumpets" up to 3 inches long, are conspicuous from June through August. The compound leaves consist of 9 to 11 leaflets. When the plant is wet it is mildly poisonous to some people, hence another common name, Cow-itch vine. [Campbell, Carlos C., Hutson, William F., Sharp, Aaron J., Great Smoky Mountains Wildflowers, Fourth Edition. The University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, 1977]
January February March April May June July August September October November December
Alphabetical Listings -- A B C D, E F G H I, J, K L M N, O P Q, R S T U, V W X, Y, Z
Family Listings -- A B C D, E F G H I, J, K L M N, O P Q, R S T U, V W X, Y, Z
Genus Listings -- A B C D, E F G H I, J, K L M N, O P Q, R S T U, V W X, Y, Z