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Tecomaria capensis 'Buff Gold' (Golden Cape Honeysuckle) - A rambling and vigorous evergreen shrub (evergreen in warm climate areas but loses its leaves in colder areas) that will grow to 20 feet with support or can be pruned into an upright shrub that is 8 feet tall or less. The shiny leaves are divided into 5 to 7 toothed and pointed leaflets, similar to a rose leaf and the 2 inch long golden-orange tubular flowers bloom in clusters nearly year round but are particularly abundant during the fall and winter.
Plant in sun or light shade. Requires little irrigation in coastal gardens but tolerates regular watering as well. This plant is cold hardy to around 23° F and can tolerate seaside conditions. It is resistant to deer predation but the flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies. A good plant that can be left in its natural form or can be sheared for use as a screen or hedge.
The naturally occurring form of Tecomaria capensis with dark red orange flowers is native to a large part of South Africa. The name Tecomaria comes from this plant's resemblance to the new world genus Tecoma, whose name comes from the native Mexican Nahuatl language name for plants with trumpet like flowers. The specific epithet means coming from the cape, in this case the Cape region of South Africa.
Many references have lumped Tecomaria into Tecoma but in an article titled "A Molecular Phylogeny and Classification of Bignoniaceae" in the September 2009 issue The Journal of Botany (96:9 pages 1731–1743) the authors (Richard G. Olmstead, Michelle L. Zjhra, Lúcia G. Lohmann, Susan O. Grose and Andrew J. Eckert) list the genus Tecoma as an entirely new world genus with Tecomaria's closest relative as Podranea in the Tecomeae clade and this is how the Kew database currently lists the two genera so we continue to list this plant as a Tecomaria. The form 'Buff Gold', with its lighter colored flowers is a plant we originally received from the revered plantsman Gary Hammer in 1994. It has long been one or our favorite Cape honeysuckles and we have sold it at the nursery since 1996 and also we still grow the dark orange-red flowering species Tecomaria capensis.
This information about Tecomaria capensis 'Buff Gold' displayed on this web page is based on research we have conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations we have made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how our crops have performed in containers in the nursery field. Where appropriate, we will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant.
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