Ipe-amarelo, Yellow Ipe, Yellow Trumpet Tree, Golden Trumpet Tree – Handroanthus chrysotrichus

General Landscape Uses: Specimen plant, shade tree

Ecological Restoration Notes: Used in its native Brazil for recovering degraded seasonal forests.

Description: Tropical flowering tree

Dimensions: Height 25 – 35 ft.; Spread 25 – 30 ft.

Growth Rate: Moderate

Native Range: Brazil

Native Habitats: Atlantic Forest (Mata Atlântica) and seasonal semi-deciduous forests.

Soils: Well-drained, sand, loam, clay

Nutritional Requirements: Moderate

Salt Water Tolerance: Low

Salt Wind Tolerance: Moderate

Drought Tolerance: High

Light Requirements: Full Sun

Flower Color: Yellow

Flower Characteristics: Trumpet shaped, clusters, showy

Flowering Season: Late winter to early spring

Fruit: Long, slender, furry seed pods (6–12 inches) that split open to release papery, wind-dispersed seeds.

Wildlife and Ecology: Highly attractive to bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

Horticultural Notes: Grown from seed, cuttings, air layering

Comments: It is often confused with Handroanthus umbellatus, but H. chrysotrichus is distinguished by the reddish-brown or golden fuzz on its buds and leaves. It is the National Tree of Brazil.