This vigorous, showstopping vine is estimated by some horticulturalists to bear more flowers per foot than any other plant. It climbs up to 50 feet and blooms in mid-spring with generous clusters of trumpet-shaped, reddish-orange flowers with yellow throats that entice hummingbirds and other pollinators. The vine sends forth branched tendrils with sticky disks to twine around trees, fences, and other vertical objects. Crossvine’s glossy, semi-evergreen leaves turn reddish purple in colder climates; the leaves may drop during harsh winters in zones 5 and 6. The vine flowers best when sited in full sun and moist, acidic, well-drained soils. However, it adapts to a wide range of soil conditions and light levels. It grows well in part sun or dappled light and even tolerates full shade, although blooming will suffer. Once established, it withstands occasional flooding or drought.
Also known as trumpet flower, crossvine is often used as a cover for fences, arbors, walls, pillars, and large trellises. These kinds of features can serve as privacy walls, transition points from one area of the landscape to another, screens to hide unsightly views, or alternatives to larger plants in narrow spaces. The plant can also scramble across the ground to stabilize slopes and become an attractive groundcover. Crossvine is much better behaved than its native lookalike, trumpet vine (Campsis radicans). The former tends to hug its supporting structures and to send out fewer seeds and shoots than trumpet vine. Because the roots stay fairly close to the base of the plant, crossvine’s spread can be easily controlled by removing suckers as they emerge. Both vines produce generous numbers of funnel-shaped, reddish-yellow flowers, but crossvine’s flowers are reddish-orange with yellow interiors, whereas trumpet vine’s blooms are solid red, yellowish orange, or yellow.
Crossvine’s descriptive name comes from the cross-shaped pith within each stem (“quartervine” is another common name). Bignonia honors the librarian of French King Louis XV, and the species epithet translates to “having tendrils.” A key characteristic of crossvine is its opposite compound leaf that is actually a trifoliate leaf in which the third leaflet has become a modified structure called a tendril.
Crossvine is found in the northeastern, north central, south central, and southeastern regions of the US. In the wild, it’s found climbing trees in swampy forests and woodlands. In some regions or habitats, crossvine may become more aggressive. To prevent the vine from spreading to areas where it is not wanted, pull up the root suckers as they are spotted. Pruning after the vines stop blooming can help maintain the shape of the plant and enhance future blooming. In severe winters, the vine may die to the ground, but the roots are usually hardy enough to survive and will sprout new growth the following spring. The adhesive pads at the end of its tendrils allow crossvine to cling to stone, bricks, and fences without support. It has an extreme flammability rating and should not be planted against houses. Crossvine may be propagated by root cuttings or seeds. While fertilization isn’t necessary, the vine will benefit from consistent watering and fertilizing before and after blooming. Pests and diseases rarely bother the plant.
Native habitats include rich forests and swamps, roadsides and fencerows, forested floodplains and uplands, hammocks, and limestone escarpments. This vine would make a great addition to colonial-style, native plant, children’s, or pollinator gardens.
Plant Characteristics:
Grows 36-50’ long and 6-9’ wide.
Grows in full or part sun; best flowering is in full sun. Tolerates heavy shade.
Prefers well-drained, rich soils but adapts to dry to moist soils, including sandy, loamy, and clay. Tolerates occasional flooding and drought.
Bell-shaped, 2” flowers appear in clusters of two to five from March to May. Flowers have 5 irregular lobes, Unopened buds resemble a tube of reddish-purple lipstick. The fruit is a multi-seeded, flat capsule 4-8” long. Young, greenish pods mature to brown in late summer and persist into fall.
Opposite, lanceolate to oblong, pinnately compound leaf has a modified leaflet/tendril and two 4-6” leaflets with smooth margins, narrowly tapered tips, and a notch at the base. A distinctive characteristic is the persisting stipules at the base of the compound leaves. The stem is squarish and reddish-purple.
Gray-brown bark is finely scaled with longitudinal splits.
Reproductive System: only one plant needed to produce blooms/fruits (monoecious).
Wildlife Value:
Host plant for larvae of rustic and plebeian sphinx moths. The tubular flowers and large quantities of nectar attract hummingbirds, butterflies, moths, and bees. Deer browse the foliage in winter. The foliage provides nesting and escape cover.
Medicinal, Edible, and Other Uses:
Native Americans used the leaves to purify blood or treat rheumatism. The mashed bark was used to relieve edema and headaches. The mashed roots were used to treat diptheria.
Resources:
USDA: https://plants.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/plantguide/pdf/pg_bica.pdf
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: https://www.wildflower.org/expert/show.php?id=661
North Carolina Extension: https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/bignonia-capreolata/
Georgia DNR: https://georgiawildlife.com/out-my-backdoor-crossvine-should-be-backyard-favorite
Gardenia: https://www.gardenia.net/plant/bignonia-capreolata-cross-vine
Illinois Botanizer: https://illinoisbotanizer.com/plants/bignonia-capreolata/
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