Chilean glory flower is a tender, perennial climber native to Chile. It is in the trumpetvine family (Bignoniaceae). The species epithet means “rough,” referring to the surface of the fruit. This plant prefers fertile moist soil in full sun but will tolerate some shade. The soil needs to be kept moist at all times. Chilean glory flower can easily be started from seed indoors in late winter, or tip cuttings can be taken in fall and overwintered indoors. Chilean glory flower will grow up to 10 to 15 feet tall in warm climates and produce racemes of tubular, red-orange flowers all season long. Its roots can survive winters in zone 8 with protection, and it can be grown as an annual in cooler zones. Chilean glory flower is considered an invasive weed in New Zealand due to its rapid growth and prolific seed production, but it has shown no invasive tendencies in North Carolina. This plant needs a structure to twine around and looks great along walkways or in the garden. It is quite showy grown on a trellis or fence. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems. If grown indoors it may get spider mites and white flies.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
NC region
Coastal; Piedmont
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
6 - Vine (vertical)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Climbing
Texture
Fine
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Pinnatifid
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Rough
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
The oval pinnate up to 3 inches long green leaves alternate on the stems with 3-7 leaflets on the older stems and fewer on young stems. They are mostly glabrous but may occasionally have a few hairs and are prominently veined. Some leaflets are modified into tendrils.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Orange
Flower value
Long Bloom Season; Showy
Flower form
Raceme
Flower shape
Tubular
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Orange-red tubular flowers all summer; long-lasting cut flower
Bloom time
Fall; Spring; Summer
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Oval wrinkled capsule with winged black seeds that are dispursed by the wind.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Origin
East Peru, Central & South Central Chile to SW. Argentina