Discovering that I had incorrectly labeled the species I was observing gave me a ton of more information and knowledge on the Tacoma Stans. The Tacoma stans is its scientific name but people mostly know it as Yellow Elder or Yellow Bells because of its shape. It is a species in the trumpet vine family, Bignoniaceous. It is mostly ornamental and comes from South America. It is native to Florida, Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico according to the Global Invasive Species Database. Also according to Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve, the distribution of the flower, “occurs throughout the island groupings of the Bahamian Archipelago and is now common in the New and Old World tropical and subtropical regions.” Based on the articles I read and on my observations, the bloom color is obviously a booming yellow. While I sat and observed, I noticed that more bees had come from the past weeks although in an article by Deborah Rankin a Texas Master Gardener, the bees have a hard time because of its shape. The bees become “nectar robbers” “so they have to cut a slit at the base of corolla and steal away with the nectar without having pollinated the flower.” (Rankin). Beside the bees, the Yellow elder is pest free according to Edward Gilman and Dennis Watson, from the Forest Service Department of Agriculture. It is a shame that there is only one shrub on campus because these flowers are really pretty and they do not need care. This is the reason that people use it as decorations and sometimes on Christmas trees as well. They bloom throughout the whole year but start to fall down and sag in the cold months. These months were supposed to be colder so I thought that the flowers would not fall down as much but it apparently based on my observations they would still fall down. There will probably be a difference in December and January which I will be checking out since I go through the carriage house every day. I also noticed that the color went from a bright yellow to a dull one with hints of orange. If it where up to me, there would be a lot more shrubs throughout the campus. Near Cowan Elementary school by Kenish Drive, I noticed a house with the Tacoma Stants. The only difference I noticed was the height. In my research, I read that they can go up to 6 feet and I confirmed it with that shrub since the one on campus is kind of short. These species can also grow as a beautiful tree but it needs pruning to control shape. One of my observations were on rainy day. The article by the Forest Service Department of Agriculture states that the flower “survives on rain alone making it well suited to naturalized and low-maintenance gardens” (Gilman and Watson) The nutrients in the soil and rain enhance the beauty of the flower in its environment. The next day it was not raining and the flowers looked brighter. Another place where I have spotted the Tecoma Stans were on the streets. It is known that this species is a residential street tree since it is not very tall it does not get tangled with the electrical wires. I feel like now that I have more knowledge and experience I will be able to focus more on plants and their small details. The tecoma stans is a beautiful flower and a fun fact is that it’s the floral emblem of the Bahamas and the official flower of the United States Virgin Islands.
Work Cited
“Tecoma Stans.” Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve Content, Bahamas National Trust , www.levypreserve.org/Plant-Listings/Tecoma-stans.
Rankin , Deborah. “The Pollinators: Carpenter Beeds .” Beneficial Insects in the Landscape: #63 Carpenter Bees & Pollination, Texas Master Gardener , aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/beneficials/beneficial-63_pollinators-_carpenter_bees.htm.
PDF by Edward F. Gilman and Dennis G. Watson from the Forest Service Department of Agriculture