''Radermachera'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of about 17

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the family

Bignoniaceae Bignoniaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Lamiales commonly known as the bignonias or trumpetvines.Vernon H. Heywood, Richard K. Brummitt, Ole Seberg, and Alastair Culham. ''Flowering Plant Families of the World''. Firefly Book ...

, native to southeastern

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

. They are

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s reaching 5–40 m tall, with bipinnate or tripinnate leaves, and panicles of large bell-shaped, white, pink, pale purple or yellow

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s 5–7 cm diameter. The genus is named after

Jacob Cornelis Matthieu Radermacher Jacob Cornelis Matthieu (J. C. M.) Radermacher (1741 – 24 December 1783) was a Dutch botanist and author. Radermacher was born in The Hague, Holland. He was an officer of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in Batavia ( Jakarta) as well as a ta ...

, the 18th century Dutch naturalist who cataloged much of the flora of Java and Sumatra.

Species

Cultivation and uses

'' Radermachera sinica'' has become a popular

houseplant A houseplant, sometimes known as a pot plant, potted plant, or an indoor plant, is an ornamental plant that is grown indoors. As such, they are found in places like residences and offices, mainly for decorative purposes. Common houseplants are us ...

, grown for its decorative foliage. ''Radermachera'' sp. 'Kunming' sold under the tradename 'Summerscent' is a fast growing, scented, trending plant in Australia. Useful as an informal screen (pruning aggressively after flowering) or a small tree if trained to a single trunk (cinture before flowering to maximise flower production and reduce crown after flowering).

References

Flora of China: ''Radermachera''Radermachera eberhardtii (Bignoniaceae), a new record for Thailand
''Thai Forest. Bull. (Bot.)'' 31: 129–131. 2003 (pdf file). Bignoniaceae genera Taxa named by Heinrich Zollinger Taxa named by Alexander Moritzi {{Bignoniaceae-stub