Tabebuia aurea (Silver Trumpet Tree)
Botanical names: Tabebuia aurea, Tabebuia caraiba, Tabebuia argentea
Common name: Silver Trumpet Tree
Family: Bignoniaceae
Origin: Brazil
USDA Zone: 9-11

Plant form: Large or medium tree
Mature height: 20 ft or more
Sun exposure: Full sun or bright light indoor
Cold tolerance: Frost sensitive. Protect from freezing.
Watering: Moderate
Flower color: Yellow, orange
Suitable for: Outdoors in the suitable USDA zone; large gardens
Foliage: DeciduousTabebuia aurea (Silver Trumpet Tree, Yellow Trumpet Tree), formerly known as Tabebuia caraiba and T. argentea, is a deciduous tree in the Bignoniaceae family, native to tropical South America, particularly Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and northern Argentina. Growing in seasonally dry forests, savannas, and the Brazilian Cerrado, it develops a broad, spreading crown, typically reaching 20-40 feet in cultivation. Its distinctive palmately compound leaves have five to seven narrow, elliptic to lance-shaped leaflets with entire margins and silvery-gray to bluish-green surfaces, especially beneath. During the dry season, often before new leaves emerge, the branches become covered with brilliant golden-yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers, followed by long, slender capsules containing winged seeds. Unlike Handroanthus chrysotrichus, which has densely hairy flower buds and calyces, Tabebuia aurea is particularly recognizable by its pale, silvery foliage.
Tabebuia aurea thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, tolerating poor, sandy soils and prolonged seasonal drought. Established trees require little supplemental watering, although young plants benefit from regular moisture. Widely cultivated as an ornamental and street tree, it is suitable for USDA Zones 9b-11, tolerating brief light frosts once established, while young plants need protection from freezing temperatures.
Similar plants: Tabebuia aurea (Silver Trumpet Tree)
- Handroanthus chrysotrichus (Dwarf Golden Tabebuia)
- Tabebuia alba (Lapacho Amarillo)
- Tabebuia angustata (Roble Blanco)
- Tabebuia bahamensis (Dwarf Bahamian Trumpet Tree)
- Tabebuia haemantha (Blood-Red Trumpet Tree)
- Tabebuia heterophylla (Pink Trumpet Tree)
- Tabebuia impetiginosa (Pink Tabebuia)
- Tabebuia riparia (White Tabebuia)
- Tabebuia rosea (Rosy Trumpet Tree)
- Tabebuia roseoalba (White Trumpet tree)

















