This bright-flowering shrub or small tree is Ginger Thomas, Tecoma stans. It is also known as Yellow Elder, Yellow Bells or Trumpetbush. It belongs to the trumpet-vine family, Bignoniaceae, and is native across a broad area of the tropical and subtropical Americas, including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. It is the national flower of the US Virgin Islands.

Ginger Thomas usually grows as a many-branched shrub or small tree, often reaching about 10 to 30 feet tall. Its crown may be upright and open or broad and spreading, depending on growing conditions and pruning.

The leaves are compound, with several pointed leaflets arranged along a central stalk. Their edges are toothed, and the bright green foliage provides a strong background for the flowers.

The blossoms are the plant’s most noticeable feature. They are large, golden yellow and trumpet-shaped, appearing in clusters near the ends of the branches. When the plant is in full bloom, the flowers can cover much of the crown.

The tubular flowers attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, which visit them for nectar and help transfer pollen between blossoms.

After flowering, the plant produces long, narrow seed capsules that resemble slender beans. These begin green and become brown as they dry. Kew records the fruits as roughly 3 to 8 inches long.

When mature, the capsules split open and release numerous flat seeds. Each seed has thin, papery wings that allow it to be carried away by the wind.

Ginger Thomas thrives in strong sunlight and well-drained soil. It tolerates heat and seasonal drought, making it especially well suited to the dry tropical conditions of the Virgin Islands.

The plant has become so closely associated with the Virgin Islands that it was chosen as the official territorial flower. Its clear yellow blossoms are familiar along roadsides, in gardens and across dry hillsides.

Although it is an attractive native plant here, Tecoma stans has spread aggressively in some other tropical regions. This reminds us that a plant may be a valued part of the ecosystem in its natural range but become invasive when introduced elsewhere.

Ginger Thomas is therefore both a beautiful flowering plant and an important symbol of the Virgin Islands. Its toothed leaflets, trumpet-shaped blossoms and long seed capsules make it easy to recognize throughout much of the year.

When it is in full bloom, the yellow flowers seem to capture the brightness of the Caribbean sun.