Gelsemium sempervirens
| Gelsemium sempervirens | |
|---|---|
| |
| Photo by John R. Gwaltney, Southeastern Flora.com | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants |
| Class: | Magnoliopsida - Dicotyledons |
| Order: | Gentianales |
| Family: | Loganiaceae |
| Genus: | Gelsemium |
| Species: | G. sempervirens |
| Binomial name | |
| Gelsemium sempervirens (L.) W.T. Aiton | |
| |
| Natural range of Gelsemium sempervirens from USDA NRCS Plants Database. | |
Common name: evening trumpetflower
Contents
Taxonomic notes
Description
"High climbing or trailing vines, twining upward from left to right. Leaves evergreen, opposite, lanceolate to elliptic, 3-7 cm long, 1-2.5 cm wide, acute to acuminate, entire, base rounded to cuneate; petioles 2-7 mm long. Flowers actinomorphic, heterostylic, axillary, solitary or in cymes; pedicels short, bracteate. Sepals 5, separate to base, lanceolate,, 3-5 mm long, 1-2 mm wide; corolla 5-lobed, yellow, 2-3.8 cm long, the tube gradually flaring upward, lobes 7-10 mm long, spreading; stamens 5, attached to lower part of corolla tube, anthers sagittate; pistil 1, slender styled, 2-cleft, each divided again and appearing 4-cleft. Capsule compressed; seeds many, dull brown, the body roughly papillose." [1]
"Leaf base cuneate to rounded. Flowers very fragrant, usually solitary, rarely in 2-3 flowered cymes. Speals obtuse to subacute. Capsule oblong, 1.4-2 cm long, 0.8-1.2 cm broad, abruptly rounded to a beaked apex; seeds 0.7-1 cm long, membranously winged apically."[1]
Distribution
Ecology
Seed dispersal
According to Kay Kirkman, a plant ecologist, this species disperses by gravity. [2]
Pollination
The following Hymenoptera families and species were observed visiting flowers of Gelsemium sempervirens at Archbold Biological Station (Deyrup 2015):
Apidae: Bombus griseocollis, B. impatiens, Habropoda laboriosa
Conservation and Management
Cultivation and restoration
Photo Gallery
References and notes
Deyrup, M.A. and N.D. 2015. Database of observations of Hymenoptera visitations to flowers of plants on Archbold Biological Station, Florida, USA.
