The Fabulous Trumpet Trees

New England is famous its glorious autumn color, but even the most stately oak or maple is able to rival Florida’s burst of color when the Trumpet trees are in full bloom.

For years the horticulture industry categorized/named these blooming trees as the genus Tabebuia under the common name Trumpet Tree (followed by a specified color), but in 2007 a DNA study proved that they don’t all share a common ancestor. Today, what was previously called a Tabebuia tree may be from the genus Handroanthus (read more about this discovery).

Regardless of their scientific name, these medium-sized, lawn-friendly trees are big on personality. Each genus has its own flower and leaf color and a slightly different-shaped bark.

Give a tabebuia tree a little space and good sunlight, and every spring it will give back a show to remember!

The Tabebuia family of trees are excellent for South Florida. They produce a magnificent show each spring, provide pollen for hummingbirds and butterflies, and have a moderate growth rate, resist serious pests and diseases, provide a lovely shade-friendly spread, are fairly drought tolerant, and love the sun. 

Tabebuia impetiginosa is a tall tree with an often sparse canopy. Hummingbirds often prefer this tree over flowers.

Tabebuia aurea is a beautiful blooming evergreen tree 15- to 25-feet tall, deeply furrowed, picturesque and easy to grow.

Tabebuia heterophylla is native to the Caribbean and is widely cultivated for timber. The pink manjack variety is often used for shade in yards and along streets.

Tabebuia roseoablais native to Brazil and cultivated here for its pinkish white flowers that last only about four days, leaving a dense, bluish-green foliage for shade.

Learn more about the Trumpet Trees from UF|IFAS Gardening Solutions.