Western Trumpet Honeysuckle

Pyrostegia venusta The five woody vines of Pyrostegia are natives of South America. The name is from the Greek pyr, fire, and stege, a roof, referring to the color and shape of the upper lip of the flower. P. venusta is a native of Brazil and is the only commonly cultivated species. It is a vigorous grower with stalked leaves, leaflets 2 to 3 inches long. The flowers are slender tubed, brilliant red-orange in color, showy, and borne terminally in large pendulous clusters. They are 2 to 3 inches long and the petals are reflexed and fringed with white hairs. We found ours growing wild in our woodland pasture.