Cat Claw Ivy.
Macfadyena unguis-cati, Trumpet Creeper Family ( Bignoniaceae ), Cat Claw Ivy. Also called Cat's Claw, Yellow Trumpet Vine, Bignonia tweediana, Doxantha unguis-cati.

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This attractive, shrubby, evergreen, twining climber gives a short spring display of showy yellow blossoms. It is a good ornamental cover for fences or walls, or of growing across lattice for shade. It will take full sun. It is a fast grower, with stems 10 to 18 feet long.

The stems are red - brown aging to a green color then becoming woody up to about 6 inches thick. The leaves are divided into a glossy green, 3 tip leaflet with a two ovate-lanceolate, glossy green cladodes about 2 inches long per petiole and a 3 pronged claw-like climbing appendage.

The flowers are single or in small clusters, yellow, trumpet like, up to 3/4 inches long with 5 petals. They turn into a thin capsule fruit about 12 - 18 inches long which is green ripening to brown in the summer, developing winged seeds. It has tuberous, deep, extensive roots. It's seeds are dispersed by wind and water.

Formerly known as Doxantha unguis-cati or Bignonia tweediana.

Quick Notes:

Height: Height to about 25 feet. Equal or greater spread. Usually about 10 to 18 feet tall and long.

Flowers: Bright yellow, solitary, funnel-shaped. 2 inches long, 1-1/4 inch diameter. Short Bloom.

Flowering Time: April in Phoenix.

Seed Pod: A very long thin pod, 12 - 18 inches long and about 1/2 inch wide. It has winged seeds about 4 � 1 cm in size.

Leaves: Dark green, ovate-lanceolate, 2 inches long, entire or lower ones irregularly pinnately divided and a 3 pronged claw-like climbing appendage.

Found: Native to the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil, & Argentina. The USDA claims it is native of the USA (FL, GA, HI, LA, SC, TX), USA+ (PR, VI).

Hardiness: Said to only be hardy to 20 �F, but some people are growing it in colder areas.

USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2 �C (10 �F)
USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4 �C (15 �F)
USDA Zone 9a: to -6.6 �C (20 �F)
USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 �C (25 �F)
USDA Zone 10a: to -1.1 �C (30 �F)
USDA Zone 10b: to 1.7 �C (35 �F)
USDA Zone 11: above 4.5 �C (40 �F)

Soil pH requirements:
6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic)
6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)
7.6 to 7.8 (mildly alkaline)
7.9 to 8.5 (alkaline)
8.6 to 9.0 (strongly alkaline)

Sun Exposure:
Full Sun

Elevation: 0 - 2,500 feet.

Habitat: Well drained sandy desert soils, clay soils, and disturbed rocky soil. Used in landscaping.

Miscellaneous: Flowering Photos Taken At I 17 & Northern Ave, Glendale, Arizona. April 5, 2006. Said to be a terrible vine to grow if you live in a moist climate. In hot, dry Arizona, it is not so invasive.