prairie vine
American trumpet vine
Campsis radicans
1 of 2Native to much of the USA
Eastern North America from Indiana, Ohio and New Jersey down to Florida and eastern Texas and north to South Dakota.
- Light Full sun Sun tolerance
- Moisture Dry to moist Moisture preference
- Zones 4–10 Cold to heat range
- Bloom May–Sep Flowering time
- Height 3–4 in 8–10 cm
- Life cycle Perennial Annual to perennial
In the garden
A prairie vine for full sun and dry to moist soil. Its red flowers peak in June. At 3–4 in, it tucks into meadows and sunny borders. It shrugs off drought once established. Hardy in USDA zones 4–10.
Growing conditions
Light
Full sun Partial shade Full shade
Moisture
Dry Moist Wet
Hardiness zones
Find your zone:
When it blooms
The American trumpet vine's red flowers bloom May to September, peaking in June. This early-summer display draws bees and wasps.
American trumpet vine blooms red, orange & yellowFoliage
Pollinators & wildlife
- Bees Common Eastern Bumble Bee
also Western Honey Bee, Brown-belted Bumble Bee, Two-spotted Bumble Bee +20 more
American Bumble Bee, Pure Green Sweat bee, Bombus fervidus, Hunt's Bumble Bee, Two-spotted Longhorn Bee, Orange-legged Furrow Bee, Nevada Bumble Bee, Texas Leafcutter Bee, Bristle Sweat Bee, Squash Longhorn-Cuckoo, Cresson's Sweat Bee, Experienced Sweat Bee, Lasioglossum cinctipes, Nomada affabilis, Yellow-spotted Cuckoo Nomad Bee, Megachile policaris, Amegilla garrula, Sonoran Bumble Bee, Pubescent Carpenter Bee, Zephyr Sweat Bee - Wasps Bald-faced Hornet
also Eastern Yellowjacket, Fraternal Potter Wasp, Western Yellowjacket +14 more
Four-toothed Mason Wasp, Southern Yellowjacket, Common Aerial Yellowjacket, Perennial Mason Wasp, European tube wasp, Euodynerus megaera, Euodynerus hidalgo boreoorientalis, Parancistrocerus leionotus, Parancistrocerus histrio, Mediterranean Potter Wasp, Yellow-legged Hornet, Vespula vidua, German Yellowjacket, Polistes exclamans - Butterflies Red Admiral
also Pearl Crescent, Pipevine Swallowtail, Viceroy +3 more
Cloudless Sulphur, Red-banded Hairstreak, Abaeis nicippe - Also visited by
- Flower flies:
Margined Calligrapher, Eastern Calligrapher +5 more
Thick-legged Hover Fly, Eastern Flower Fly, Eastern Catkin Fly, Maize Calligrapher, Pseudodoros clavatus - Hummingbirds:
Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Broad-billed Hummingbird +1 more
Black-chinned Hummingbird - Moths:
Carolina Sphinx, Trumpet Vine Sphinx +2 more
Porcelain Gray, Four-spotted Palpita Moth - Beetles: Spotted Cucumber Beetle, Ashy Gray Lady Beetle
- Birds: Baltimore Oriole
- Flower flies:
Butterflies that use this plant
Documented host and nectar records. Each links to a planting guide for that butterfly.
- Banded hairstreaknectar
- Cloudless sulphurnectar
- Dainty sulphurnectar
- Pearl crescentnectar
- Pipevine swallowtailnectar
- Red admiralnectar
- Red-banded hairstreaknectar
- Sleepy orangenectar
- Viceroynectar
Full plant details
Where it grows
- Habitat
- PrairieThe wild plant community it grows in.
- Native range
- Much of the USAUnited States (29): AL, AR, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MI, MO, MS, NC, ND, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, WV. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
- Native distribution
- Eastern North America from Indiana, Ohio and New Jersey down to Florida and eastern Texas and north to South Dakota.The same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.
Growing conditions
- Light
- Full sunHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
- Moisture
- Dry to moistThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
- Hardiness zones
- USDA 4–10 · Canadian 5–7The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
- Soil
- Various well-drained soils. Sandy, Sandy Loam, Medium Loam, Clay Loam, Clay, Limestone-based, Caliche typeThe soils it grows in naturally.
- Soil texture
- Light to heavy (sandy to clay)The soil grade it prefers, from sand to clay.
- Soil pH
- 4.9–6.8The acidity to alkalinity it tolerates (7 is neutral).
- Soil quality
- LowHow rich a soil it needs. Many natives prefer lean soil and flop in rich beds.
- Water use
- LowHow thirsty it is, a rough guide to how often to water.
- Drought tolerance
- HighRelative to plants of the same type and region, inferred from where it grows, not a days-without-water figure.
- Salinity tolerance
- NoneHow well it copes with salty soil, near roads or the coast.
- Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance
- HighHow well it copes with chalky, lime-rich soil.
Growth & form
- Height
- 3–4 in (8–10 cm)Typical mature height.
- Life cycle
- PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).
- Growth rate
- RapidA relative ranking versus other plants of the same type (USDA), not an absolute rate.
- Shape
- ClimbingIts overall silhouette.
- Root depth
- 14+ in (36+ cm)How far the roots reach, a guide to drought resilience and transplanting.
Flowers, foliage & fruit
- Type
- VineWhat kind of plant it is.
- Bloom
- May–SepWhen it flowers.
- Flower color
- Red, Orange, YellowThe bloom color, or colors.
- Fruit/Seeds
- ripens Jan–NovThe seed or fruit it sets after flowering.
- Toxicity
- None knownWhether any part is poisonous to people or pets.
Propagation & seed
- Cold stratification
- Required (cold, moist)Whether seed needs a cold, moist spell before it will germinate.
- Propagation
- Bare root, container, cuttings, seedHow to start new plants.
- Seed
- ~0.1 million seeds per poundNotes on the seed and how to sow it.
- Seed spread rate
- SlowHow readily it self-sows. Slow or none means well-behaved, not a spreader.
- Seedling vigor
- HighHow strongly young seedlings establish.
- Vegetative spread
- ModerateWhether it creeps outward or stays put in a clump.