Tabebuia Facts
- Tabebuia forms the scientific name of a rather impressive genus of flowering plants with 67 currently recognized species.
- The majority of this group consists of trees but a small number develop as large shrubs. Most of the trees remain popular and cultivated as flowering trees common in landscaping.
- However, a few of the tree varieties have also become sources of timber.
- Often growing outside of its native habitat range, it sometimes becomes invasive. The plants produce copious numbers of seeds which the wind then disperses.
- The nectar of the various kinds of Tabebuia serves as a principal food source for numerous types of hummingbirds and bees.
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Tabebuia Physical Description
The precise physical characteristics of the many forms of Tabebuia varies rather significantly between the different individual types.
The various types of this flowering plant may be either deciduous or evergreen in nature. Also, the leaves of most varieties remain simple but some few possess ornately shaped leaves.
Those varieties in the form of trees also develop into relatively small examples, and their wood usually remains rather soft.
The blooms of different species have either a white, yellow, red, or pink color.
- Kingdom: Plantae
- Class: Angiosperms
- Order: Lamiales
- Family: Bignoniaceae
- Genus: Tabebuia
Photographer: João Medeiros
CCL: https://bit.ly/1ryPA8o
Tabebuia Range, Habitat, and Uses
The Tabebuia also developed as native to the American tropics, and a range of the subtropics. This range extends from Mexico in North America, to Argentina in South America. The genus also thrives on multiple islands in the Caribbean.
Yet the majority of individual species remain native to Hispaniola and Cuba. Given its distribution, the genus obviously prefers warm moist climates, yet has also proven itself adaptable to more temperate climates.
The wood of several varieties of Tabebuia also remains in common use in the Caribbean islands as it is exceptionally durable when in contact with salt water.
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