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Tecomanthe speciosa
Tecomanthe speciosa is a vigorous twining subtropical climber from New Zealand's Three Kings Islands, known from a single wild plant and grown in gardens from cuttings. Grow it in a sheltered, sunny spot with room to climb.
Tecomanthe speciosa (also known as the Three Kings vine or akapukaea) is a species of subtropical forest lianes. A single specimen was first discovered on Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands, 55 km (34 mi) off the northern tip of New Zealand, during a scientific survey in 1945. No other specimens have been recorded in the wild. Tecomanthe is a tropical genus otherwise unrepresented in New Zealand. Four other species of Tecomanthe occur in Queensland, Indonesia, New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands.
Tecomanthe speciosa may once have been common on the Three Kings. By the time of its discovery, goats that had been introduced to the islands had reduced the entire population to a single specimen on Great Island, making it one of the world's most endangered plants. The remaining specimen grew on a cliff that was too steep for the goats to reach. The original specimen still grows in the wild, and has developed more vines through the natural process of layering in the years since its discovery. While the original plant was saved from destruction by the eradication of goats from the island, the rapid regeneration of the surrounding forest has limited the amount of sunlight the plant receives. The plant was last documented fully flowering in 1946, but did not flower for the remainder of the 20th century. Light flowering was documented in the early 21st century.
After discovery of the single plant in 1945, cuttings were taken from the original plant.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Tecomanthe speciosa by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
