Tecomanthe speciosa

Taxobox
name = "Tecomanthe speciosa"

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status = EN
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Magnoliopsida
ordo = Lamiales
familia = Bignoniaceae
genus = "Tecomanthe"
species = "T. speciosa"
binomial = "Tecomanthe speciosa"
binomial_authority = W.R.B.Oliv.A solitary plant of "Tecomanthe speciosa" or the Three Kings Vine was first discovered on the Three Kings Islands, 55km off the northern tip of New Zealand, during a scientific survey in 1945. No other specimens have ever been found in the wild. "Tecomanthe" is a tropical genus not otherwise represented in New Zealand. Four other species of "Tecomanthe" occur in Queensland, Indonesia, New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands.

Description

s.

Conservation

Although the plant may once have been common on the Three Kings, by the time of its discovery goats, which had been introduced to the islands, had reduced the entire population to a single specimen on Great Island, making it one of the world’s most endangered plants. It was rescued by horticulturalists who took cuttings from the original plant and goats were subsequently eradicated from the island. The original specimen still grows in the wild, and has developed more vines through the natural process of layering in the years since its discovery.

Cultivation

After a decade, the plants raised by the horticulturists finally set seed, and "Tecomanthe speciosa" has subsequently become popular in New Zealand gardens as a vigorous climber of tropical appearance. The plant requires warm conditions, and is very sensitive to frost, suffering damage if the temperature drops below -2C. It is readily grown from cuttings, layering and from seed. Seed must be sown fresh and should germinate within two weeks. The seedlings grow vigorously, and may flower within two or three years. Plants grown from cuttings may take up to five years or longer to flower.

References

* Auckland Museum Natural History Information Centre, [http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/site_resources/Library/Matapuna/Three_Kings_Vine.pdf "Three Kings Vine / Native Bignonia"] . Accessed 30 May 2007.
* P. Bannister, 'Winter frost resistance of leaves of some plants from the Three Kings Islands, grown outdoors in Dunedin, New Zealand' [http://www.rsnz.org/publish/nzjb/1984/28.php "New Zealand Journal of Botany", 1984, Vol. 22 : 303-306] . Accessed 30 May 2007.
* New Zealand Plant Conservation Network, [http://www.nzpcn.org.nz/vascular_plants/detail.asp?PlantID=44 "Tecomanthe speciosa"] . Accessed 30 May 2007.