BIGNONIACEAE  

Shrubs, subshrubs, sometimes subscandent, or small trees; branches sometimes lepidote or lenticellate. Leaves simply imparipinnate, opposite, petiolate; leaflets ovate to elliptic, or lanceolate, terminal leaflets often acute or acuminate, sessile, crenate or serrate. Flowers pedicellate, in dense, terminal or subterminal racemes or racemose panicles; bracts +/- linear or lanceolate. Calyx cupular or elongate-cupular, 5-dentate, +/- puberulous or somewhat lepidote, ciliate. Corolla orange (natural) or scarlet, yellow or pink (cultivated), narrowly funnel-shaped and a little curved, or tubular-campanulate above a short, narrow base; tube glabrous outside, with some papillae or hairs within, mostly in lower part; limb bilabiate, all 5 lobes elliptic, obtuse. Stamens 4, didynamous, arising in lower part of corolla tube, sometimes adnate to beyond middle, exserted or included; filaments terete, with stalked glands on lower part; anthers linear-oblong, thecae connate in upper third and slightly divergent below or divaricate and not apically fused; staminode 0 or 1. Nectary cupular-pulvinate. Ovary oblong or narrowly cylindrical, bilocular; ovules many in 2 or 4 series per locule; style terete, exserted; stigma elliptic, bilobed. Fruit a capsule, linear-oblong and somewhat curved, or linear and straight, tapering at ends, compressed parallel to septum but dehiscing perpendicularly to it; valves smooth or wrinkle-ridged. Seeds thin with 2 hyaline, membranous wings, sharply demarcated from seed body and almost surrounding it. x = 9 (17) (aneuploids, polyploidy).

Scrambling shrubs or subshrubs, almost glabrous; branchlets terete to 4-angled, lenticelled. Leaves imparipinnately compound, without tendrils, opposite, petiolate; leaflets elliptic-ovate, entire or remotely toothed; pseudostipules 0. Flowers large, in terminal panicles. Calyx cupular-campanulate, evenly 5-lobed, inflated; tube ridged, glabrous; lobes almost as long as tube, ovate, apiculate, ciliate. Corolla somewhat bilabiate and vertically compressed, pink or lilac; tube campanulate above a short cylindrical base, glabrous outside, glandular within on lower part, with stalked hairs, pilose in throat; lobes obovate. Stamens 4, didynamous, arising at top of narrow portion of corolla tube, included; filaments subterete, with stalked glands on basal part; anthers with 2 thecae connate only at apex, straight, divaricate when mature; staminode 1. Nectary thick, saucer-shaped, somewhat crenate. Ovary linear, +/- cylindrical, tapering into style, glabrous, bilocular; ovules many, in 6-8 rows per locule; style semiterete, slightly exserted; stigma with two +/- oval lobes. Fruit a long, narrow, linear, straight capsule, with acute apex, somewhat flattened, leathery, smooth, dehiscing perpendicularly to septum. Seeds with 2 +/- rectangular wings; testa membranous.

Perennial lianas; roots usually with conspicuously swollen tubers; stems irregularly striate, lenticellate, branchlets terete, often rooting at nodes, attached to support by adventitious rootlets. Leaves with 2 lanceolate to broadly ovate leaflets, often with a terminal trifid, hooked tendril; opposite, petiolate; pseudostipules small, +/- ovate. Flowers large, pedicellate, in an axillary panicle, usually reduced to 1 or 3 flowers but rarely up to 15; peduncles short, branches +/- glabrous. Calyx membranous, cupular, subtruncate with sinuous margin, glabrous to slightly lepidote. Corolla tubular-campanulate, yellow; tube glabrous outside, glabrous or partly puberulous or pubescent inside; limb oblique; lobes obovate, shorter than tube. Stamens 4(5), didynamous, included, arising at top of narrow part of corolla tube; anthers glabrous, thecae straight, divaricate; staminode 1(0). Ovary linear, minutely lepidote to subpuberulous, bilocular; ovules in 4 rows per locule but may appear as 2 in cross sections. Nectary annular. Fruit a long, narrow, linear capsule, tapering at ends, compressed, leathery; valves parallel to septum; dehiscence septicidal. Seeds membranous, with 2 wings not sharply demarcated from seed body, blunt-ended, mostly brown and irregularly hyaline at apex.

Deciduous or semideciduous, medium to large trees; branchlets terete. Leaves bipinnate, opposite, pinna rachis subwinged; leaflets many, narrowly elliptic, sessile. Flowers pedicellate, in an open, terminal panicle. Calyx reduced, 5-denticulate, broadly campanulate, subpuberulous. Corolla tubular-campanulate above a slightly narrowed, curved tube, mauvish blue, rarely white, pubescent outside; tube white, partly pubescent inside; limb slightly bilabiate; lobes 5, rounded, +/- equal, spreading. Stamens 4, didynamous, arising +/- at top of narrow part of corolla tube, included; filaments pubescent below middle; anthers glabrous, unithecate as second theca reduced to minute appendage; staminode 1, exceeding stamens, glandular-pubescent at middle and apex. Nectary short, pulvinate. Ovary flattened-cylindrical, bilocular, with 2 axile, vertical, placental ridges per locule, glabrous; ovules 6-8-seriate in each locule; style filiform, included, tapering slightly into bilobed stigma. Fruit a woody capsule, broadly oval to suborbicular, apex often a little emarginate, base truncate to subcordate, strongly compressed perpendicularly to the septum, dehiscing parallel to the plane of compression; valves glabrous, smooth, margins not or slightly undulate. Seeds thin, with wing +/- surrounding and clearly demarcated from seed body, hyaline-membranous with brownish streaks. x = 9 (polyploidy).