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Carolina Jessamine

Gelsemium sempervirens

Other common name(s):

Yellow Jessamine, Evening Trumpetflower, Poor Man's Rope

Family:

Gelsemiaceae (Jessamine Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

East Central Texas Plains, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Northern Post Oak Savanna, Northern Prairie Outliers
Northern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Southern Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Vine

Height

15
to
20
ft.

Spread

7
to
8
ft.

Leaf Retention

Evergreen

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Sand, Loam, Clay

Light Requirement

Sun, Part Shade

Water Requirement

Low

Native Habitat

Woodland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

Yellow

Bloom Season

Spring, Winter

Seasonal Interest

Nectar, Pollen

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies, Hummingbirds, Bees

Maintenance

Train on trellis, arbor, wall, fence, small trees. Flowers best in full sun. Is disease and insect resistant. Propagation: Seed, Hardwood cuttings, Semi-hardwood cuttings.

Comments

Blooms December-May. Groundcover or high-climbing, evergreen, twining vine. Showy, fragrant yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers. The fruit is a 1 1/2 in. long capsule. Blooms mainly early spring, may begin as early as December, may bloom briefly in fall. Is commonly used as a landscape vine. Flowers, leaves, & roots are poisonous and may be lethal if consumed. Pollination: Butterflies, bees, hummingbirds.
Previous Scientific Name(s): Synonym/s: Bignonia sempervirens, Bigonia sempervirens

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) Miller, George O., Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas 2nd Ed., 2013, pg 48. 3) Wasowski and Wasowski, Native Texas Plants Landscaping Region by Region, 1991, pg. 359. 4) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=GESE. 5) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Gelsemium+sempervirens&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 6) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=12221&locationType=County&mapType=Normal. 7) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=29932#null, 8) Native and Adapted Landscape Plants, City of Austin and Texas A&M, 2014.

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State Office Phone: 830.997.9272

State Office Address:
Native Plant Society of Texas
PO Box 3017
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

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