Pyrostegia venusta (Flamevine)

A woody climber in the Bignoniaceae family, it is native from Mexico through Central America to tropical South America. It climbs using three-branched tendrils that replace the terminal leaflet of its compound leaves. The remaining paired leaflets are oval to elliptical with pointed tips. Crowded flower clusters develop near shoot tips and in leaf axils. The tubular flowers are usually orange, with narrow lobes that curl backward and projecting stamens and styles. Long, narrow capsules contain winged seeds. Hummingbirds pollinate its flowers. It is naturalized and considered an environmental weed in Queensland, Australia, where it can smother native vegetation. Photographed in the department of Risaralda, Colombia.