Quick Facts

Quick facts

• Yellow Bells (Tecoma stans) is a densely branched shrub or small tree with large showy yellow flowers.
• It is commonly cultivated as an ornamental plant but has become naturalised in tropical and subtropical parts of Australia.
• It has papery-winged seeds that are mostly wind-dispersed.
• Invades the margins of native bushland, disturbed habitats as well as agricultural lands.

What Does It Look Like?

What is it?

Yellow Bells (Tecoma stans) is a densely branched shrub or small tree ranging in height from 3–8 m. The bark is pale grey-brown in colour with conspicuous small pale spots (lenticels) present. The leaves are 8–25 cm long, consisting of 7–13 leaflets, and arranged in opposite pairs along the branchlets. The leaflets are mostly lance-shaped, measuring 2.5–10 cm long by 8–30 mm wide with toothed margins. The upper leaflet surface is bright green, the lower surface is paler.

The showy yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers are 3.5–5 cm long and arranged in clusters at the branch tips or upper forks.

The fruits are long narrow pods measuring 10–22 cm long by 7–20 mm wide and turning brown when ripe. The fruit splits to release numerous papery-winged flat seeds measuring about 20–6 mm, including the wing (Quirico 1993; Fosberg et al. 1993; North Coast Weeds Advisory Committee 2004; Jordan 2007).

For further information and assistance with identification of Yellow Bells contact the Herbarium in your state or territory.

Flower colour

Yellow

Growth form (weed type/habit)

Shrub, Tree

Where it currently grows? Preferred habitat

Yellow Bells tolerates a diverse range of climates from deserts to tropical areas. It prefers well-drained soils with a sandy to loam texture in areas receiving from 700–1800 mm of rain per year (Francis undated; North Coast Weeds Advisory Committee 2004). It is salt tolerant and is capable of becoming established in mangrove ecosystems (PIER 2008). It prefers full sunlight, minimal competition and does not tolerate heavy frost (Francis undated). In Australia, it has been recorded in highly disturbed habitats, on coastal sand dunes and riparian habitats on margins of rainforest and eucalypt forest communities (Smith 2002; North Coast Weeds Advisory Committee 2004).

Are there similar species?

There are no similar species reported in Australia.

Why Is It A Weed?

What are its impacts?

Agriculture: Yellow Bells is reportedly palatable to cattle and goats (Francis undated). However, it impacts on agricultural production through reducing pasture quality, restricting access for stock and machinery, and competing with orchard plantings (North Coast Weeds Advisory Committee 2004).

Native ecosystems: Yellow Bells is an escapee from gardens (cultivation) that invades the margins of native bushland, disturbed habitats and agricultural lands (North Coast Weeds Advisory Committee 2004; Jordan 2007). It can form dense stands that inhibit regeneration of other species and also restricts habitat for native fauna (Smith 2002; North Coast Weeds Advisory Committee 2004).

How does it spread?

Yellow Bells produces large numbers of papery seeds that are wind-dispersed (Francis undated; Jordan 2007). Plants are spread by the horticultural industry as garden plants, although this is now being discouraged. Seeds are also dispersed by birds and carried by the movement of soil and water (Nursery and Garden Industry NSW & ACT undated).

What is its history in Australia?

Yellow Bells is an attractive plant which has been cultivated as an ornamental plant in Australia for some time. It was recorded growing in the Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Queensland in 1824. The first record of Yellow Bells having naturalised in Queensland is from alluvial flats near Roma in 1973 (Queensland Herbarium 2008).

How To Manage It?

Best practice management

Non-chemical control: Physical control: Yellow Bells can be removed by hand pulling or digging (Smith 2002).

Chemical control: Plants can also be treated with a cut stump application or stem injection of an appropriate herbicide (Smith 2002) and it is highly susceptible to glyphosate (PIER 2008). Foliar spraying the entire plant or basal bark application of herbicides are suggested to be most effective on smaller plants and seedlings (Smith 2002). However, once established it is difficult to eradicate with herbicides (Jordan 2007).

Please see the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority for chemical information http://www.apvma.gov.au 

Does it have a biological control agent?

NO

When does it grow? (lifecycle/growth calendar)

Yellow Bells is a shrub to small tree. After germination early growth is relatively rapid with growth of up to 1 m in the first year (Francis undated). In Australia, Yellow Bells flowers and fruits throughout the year (Queensland Herbarium 2008). Fruits mature about one month after fertilization and split to release numerous papery-winged seeds (Francis undated). Seeds are probably only viable for less than a year in the soil (PIER 2008).

Where Is It Found?

Which states and territories is it found?

NSW, NT, QLD, SA, WA

What areas within states and territories is it found?

Yellow Bells is commonly cultivated as an ornamental plant but has become naturalised in tropical and subtropical parts of Australia. It is widespread but has a scattered distribution most commonly in Queensland from the Atherton Tableland southward to the Gold Coast and as far west as Injune in central Queensland. It is also naturalised on many islands in the Torres Strait (Queensland Herbarium 2008).

In New South Wales it is rare in coastal districts north from Sydney (Quirico 1993).

In the Northern Territory there are populations around Darwin, Alice Springs and on the east Arnhem Land coast (Smith 2002).

It is also found in the coastal regions of northern Western Australia where it has been recorded from Exmouth, Koolan Island, Lake Argyle (near Kununurra) and Kuri Bay on the Kimberley coast (Western Australian Herbarium 1998).

Occasional plants are also found in reserves or on roadsides in South Australia, suggesting is possibly also becoming naturalised there (Conran 2021, pers. comm.).

Where does it originate?

Yellow Bells is a native of the southern United States of America to northern Argentina and the Caribbean Islands (Francis undated; North Coast Weeds Advisory Committee 2004).

National And State Weed Listings

Is it a Weed of National Significance (WONS)?

NO

Where is it a declared weed?

NSW, QLD, WA

Government weed strategies and lists – Weeds Australia

Is it on the National Alert List for Environmental Weeds?

NO

Government weed strategies and lists – Weeds Australia

Is it on the Agricultural Sleeper List?

NO

Government weed strategies and lists – Weeds Australia

Names And Taxonomy

Main scientific name

Tecoma stans

Other scientific names (synonyms)?

• Bignonia stans L.
• Stenolobium stans (L.) Seem.

Does it have other known common name(s)?

Yellow Trumpet Bush, Tecoma, Golden Bells, Trumpet Bush, Yellow Tecoma, Yellow Bignonia, Yellow Elder, Ginger-Thomas