About the plant
The only known specimen of Tecomanthe speciosa living in the wild was discovered on the Three Kings Islands archipelago, 50 km off the northern tip of New Zealand.
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Not yet evaluated
The International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species uses a set of criteria to evaluate the extinction risk of the world’s species. The ongoing mission is to evaluate every plant species in the world.
IUCN Red List Status:
Not yet evaluatedData deficientLeast concernNear threatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically endangeredExtinct in the wildExtinct -
Good garden plantPlant can be grown outside in the UK
Facts
- Discovered during a scientific survey in 1945
- Grows to 10m tall
- Vigorous climber
- Flowers are cream-coloured and tubular
- Popular in cultivation
Gillian Crowcroft © NZPCN
Lisa Forester © NZPCN
By Kahuroa via Wikimedia Commons
By Kahuroa via Wikimedia Commons
By Tony Foster via flickr, CC BY-ND 2.0
Lloyd Homer © GNS Science
Saved from certain extinction
Tecomanthe speciosa was on the verge of extinction when it was discovered, thanks to feral goats. Thankfully the goats were eradicated from the island in 1946 which restored the island’s ecosystem balance. The remaining wild specimen has not flowered for over 50 years, probably because the forest canopy creates too much shade.
Horticulturalists took cuttings from the original plant. Ten years later the plant finally set seed. As a result it has since become a popular garden climber.
-
Not yet evaluated
The International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species uses a set of criteria to evaluate the extinction risk of the world’s species. The ongoing mission is to evaluate every plant species in the world.
IUCN Red List Status:
Not yet evaluatedData deficientLeast concernNear threatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically endangeredExtinct in the wildExtinct -
Good garden plantPlant can be grown outside in the UK