Fridericia mollissima

Native from Mexico through Central America to Colombia and northern Venezuela, this woody climber has smooth gray bark and leaves divided into two or three broad, softly hairy leaflets. A tendril may replace the terminal leaflet. The leaves fall during the dry season. Large, branching flower clusters carry fragrant lavender flowers with pale interiors and a yellow marking in the throat. The small flower cups have a pale hairy rim. Long, narrow capsules release thin winged seeds. Photographed in Colombia.