Golden Shower Vine: All About Pyrostegia venusta

The Pyrostegia venusta, also known as the Flame Vine or Golden Shower Vine, is a climbing plant from the Bignoniaceae family. It possesses trifid tendrils and its leaves grow in pairs.

The stamens are located in the middle of the corolla tube, with filamentous flower threads and a tubular corolla. The inner surface of the corolla tube has a ring of hair in the middle, and its base is contracted.

The flower’s vibrant orange-red hue compliments its cylindrical ovary, which is closely covered with fine soft hair. The flower’s style is slender, with a flat, tongue-shaped stigma that extends beyond the corolla tube, as do the filaments.

Its fruit is leathery, boat-shaped, and contains multiple rows of winged, membranous seeds. Renowned for its long blooming period, the Pyrostegia venusta is native to Brazil in South America but is widely cultivated as an ornamental vine in tropical Asia.

Often planted around garden buildings and climbing on cool sheds, its clusters of red-orange flowers bloom in early summer, resembling strings of fireworks, which gives it its name – the Flame Vine.

I. Morphological features

Pyrostegia venusta is a vine with three-forked tendrils. The leaves are opposite; there are 2-3 leaflets, ovate, tapering at the top and nearly round at the base.

They are 4-10 cm long and 3-5 cm wide, hairless on both sides, with extremely small scattered glands underneath, and entire margins. The petiole is about 2 cm long, and the leaflet stalks are 5-20 mm long.

The panicle is borne at the top of the side branches, about 10-12 cm long. The calyx is bell-shaped with five small teeth. The corolla is tubular, with a ring of hair inside the middle, constricting at the base and orange-red in color.

The corolla has five lobes, arranged in a pincer-like manner when in bud, and reflexes once the flower opens, with the edges covered in white short soft hairs. The stamens are borne in the middle of the corolla tube, filamentous, with the anthers diverging.

The ovary is cylindrical, densely covered with fine soft hairs, the style is slender, with a flat tongue-shaped stigma, both the style and filaments protruding outside the corolla tube.

The fruit is leather-like, boat-shaped, with multiple rows of seeds inside. The seeds are winged and membranous.

II. Growth Environment

This plant thrives in sunlit environments and fertile, moist, acidic soil. It grows rapidly and in the southern regions, it can maintain its evergreen foliage, enduring winter outdoors. Due to tendrils growing mainly on the upper part of the vines, the entire plant can attach and grow on other objects.

III. Distribution Range

Originally from Brazil in South America, it has been widely cultivated as a garden ornamental vine in tropical Asia.

IV. Disease and Pest Control

Diseases

The plant is often affected by leaf spot and powdery mildew, which can be sprayed with a 1500 times dilution of 50% carbendazim wettable powder for treatment.

Pests

The plant’s pests include mealybugs and scale insects, which can be eradicated with a 1200 times dilution of 40% parathion emulsion.

V. Main Value

Medicinal Value

Taste: Flowers – sweet; neutral; Leaves – bitter; slightly astringent; neutral

Main Functions: Moistens the lungs and stops coughs; clears heat and benefits the throat. It’s primarily used for pulmonary tuberculosis; acute and chronic throat swelling and pain.

Usage and Dosage: Oral administration: Decoction, 10-15g; or ground into powder, 3g each time, taken with warm water.

Ornamental Value

This plant is often grown in courtyards, trellises, floral arches, and fences for vertical greening.

It can be utilized as a large plant, placed in flower sheds, outdoor restaurants, courtyard entrances, etc., for overhead and surrounding greening, presenting a beautiful scenery.

It’s also suitable for ground planting as a flower wall, covering soil slopes, or for vertical or ground greening on the balconies of high-rise buildings, demonstrating grandeur.

It’s an important climbing plant in the southern region. Dwarf varieties can be curved into patterned shapes for pot cultivation.

It’s often planted around garden buildings, climbing on the pergolas. In early summer, the red and orange flowers form clusters, resembling firecrackers, hence the name ‘firecracker flower’.