Long, thin and cylindrical seed pods are characteristic of most members of the bignonia family or Bignoniaceae. The pods follow big trumpet-shaped flowers. Each flower has five petal lobes, often with 2 petals more to three petals and the top to the base of the trumpet. They bunch to get a display at branch ends. The bignonia family is composed of woody vines and trees and is mostly tropical. Only a few members of this family live in cold-winter areas.

Catalpa Trees

Northern catalpa (Catalpa speciosa), growing in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 8, is the very cold-hardy of the bignonia family trees with long, slender pods. The closely related southern catalpa (Catalpa bignonioides) grows in USDA zones 5 through 9. Both species have showy clusters of white flowers colored with purple and yellow in the throats followed by green pods which turn brown in autumn and stay on the tree through winter. They finally split open to release seeds. The catalpas can be invasive and litter is created by them with pods, leaves and dropped flowers. Northern catalpa grows to 60 feet tall, and southern catalpa reaches 20 to 40 ft high.

Desert Willow

Native to the Southwest, desert willow (Chilopsis linearis) contains 6- to 12-inch-long seed pods which stay on through the winter. The shrub grows to 7b. Cultivars have pink to heavy and orchid flower colours, although ordinarily, the fragrant flowers are white to pink with darker neck markings. Flowering from late spring into early autumn, desert willow is used in gardens for specimen and screening plantings. The trees aren’t related, although the long, narrow leaves resemble willow leaves.

Trumpet Trees

Even though there are a range of trumpet trees (Tabebuia spp.) In cultivation, two of the commonly grown species have been pink trumpet tree (Tabebuia heterophylla), growing in USDA zones 10a through 11, and yellow trumpet tree (Tabebuia chrysantha), hardy in USDA zones 9b through 11. Pink trumpet tree has showy pink to white flowers in summer and spring followed by long pods 6 to 12 inches long. It’s 20 to 30 feet tall by 15 to 25 feet. Yellow trumpet tree reaches 30 to 40 ft high with glowing yellow, fragrant flowers, whenever the shrub is deciduous in late winter and spring, often appearing. Pods are 10 inches long. Both species have palmately compound leaves with the leaflets arranged like the fingers on a hand. They create arresting sights when.

Yellow Bells

Native to the American Southwest, Mexico and Central and South America, yellow bells (Tecoma stans) has abundant clusters of yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers throughout its growing season, with 4- to 8-inch-long lean pods which hang in clusters. Several varieties and hybrids are available, some with flowers that are orange. Yellow bells grows in USDA zones 7 through 11, generally as a multitrunked sizable tree. It may be trained. Yellow bells can be invasive.

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