Plate 068 · leafless bloom with a hummingbird IdentificationFour marks on the plate
- 1Bright pink trumpet flowers, in clusters.
- 2Yellow throat with reddish lines.
- 3Bare branches while in flower.
- 4Long thin capsule, hangs in bunches.
Easily confused with Yellow lapachoHandroanthus spp.Yellow flowers, not pink. JacarandaJacaranda mimosifoliaBlue-violet flowers, blooms in spring with fern-like leaves. 068 / 100 · PLANTS · BIGNONIACEAENEAR THREATENED Pink Trumpet Tree
Handroanthus impetiginosus
Lapacho rosado · Pink lapacho
In late winter, while the forest is dry, the lapacho flowers on bare branches and turns the lower slopes pink. The flowers are trumpets with yellow throats, visited by large bees and hummingbirds. Its wood is very hard and heavy.
- Tree height
- up to c. 25 m
- Altitude
- c. 400 – 1,000 m
- Flowering
- Jul – Sep, leafless
- Fruit
- capsule up to c. 40 cm
- Winter bloom
- Foothill forest
- Winged seeds
- Hardwood
Altitude rangePink on the lower slopes
Foothill and lower montane forest In Tucumán it grows mainly in the foothill forest and the lower montane forest, up to c. 1,000 m.
EcologyNectar in the dry season
- Large beesbumblebees and carpenter bees · pollinate
- Hummingbirdstake nectar when few flowers are open
- Winged seedsleave the capsule and fly on the wind
- Sun and well-drained soillower slopes and forest edges
It flowers when almost nothing else in the forest does, so it is a key nectar source in late winter.
Life cycleFlowers first, leaves later
J F M A M J J A S O N D FloweringCapsules and seeds - Drops its leaves. In winter it stands bare and flowers before it leafs out.
- Pink trumpets. The flowers last a few days and fall into a pink carpet.
- Seeds on the wind. The long capsule splits in spring and releases flat winged seeds.
Where to look in Tucumán- Sierra de San Javier
- Reserva Experimental Horco Molle
- Parque Provincial La Florida
- Quebrada de Lules
- Río Los Sosa