Bignonia potosina

Bignonia potosina is a woody climber. Here are other notable features:^[3]

• The high-climbing, hairless stem's four sharp corners often are emphasized by light-colored ridges. At petiole bases arise green, leafy, earlike "pseudostipules" up to about 8 mm (3⁄8 in) long.
• Leaves arise opposite one another along stems on petioles up to 4 cm (1+1⁄2 in) long, with blades once-divided into 2 leaflets growing opposite one another, with a tendril arising between them. Leaflets are up to 10 cm (4 in) long and half that wide, with tips gradually narrowing to a point. Most leaflets have 4 or 5 pairs of side veins coming off the midrib.
• Inflorescences composed of several to many flowers appear along stems and at their tips.
• Flowers have corollas which are conspicuously bilaterally symmetrical, with white to creamy corollas with purplish nectar guides leading into the throat. The corolla tube is narrowly funnel shaped, extending about 35 mm (1+1⁄2 in) beyond the calyx, with lobes around 16 mm (3⁄4 in) long and 20 mm (3⁄4 in) wide; there are 2 upper lobes and 3 lower ones. Five stamens of unequal lengths are held inside the corolla tube.
• Fruits are compressed, woody, fairly slender capsules up to about 24 cm (9+1⁄2 in) long and 3.2 cm (1+1⁄4 in) wide. They produce many flattened seeds bearing thin, film-like "wings" on opposite sides, and are about 1.5 cm (1⁄2 in) long and 6 cm (2+1⁄4 in) wide.

In southern Mexico, Bignonia potosina occurs in the southernmost part of the state of Tamaulipas, the states of San Luis Potosí, Puebla and Oaxaca, and the Yucatan Peninsula, southward through Central America into northern Costa Rica.^[2]

Bignonia potosina occurs in wet and seasonally dry tropical forests.^[2]

In Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, Bignonia potosina is used medicinally by the Mayan people for coughs, colds, wound healing, wasps and scorpion stings, as well as bile and kidney diseases. Studies indicated that extracts of Bignonia potosina demonstrated potent and broad-spectrum antibacterial properties against important antimicrobial-resistant forms of bacteria.^[4] For wounds, insect and spider bites the leaves are used. An infusion of the leaves is drunk for digestive problems resulting in blood and/or mucous in the feces, and constipation.^[5] Also in Mexico, Bignonia potosina is used to promote abortion.^[6]

In Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula where beekeeping is important in traditional Mayan culture, Bignonia potosina (as Cydista potosina) is listed as a principle producer of nectar and pollen for the Mayan Stingless Bee, Melipona beecheii.^[7]

In Mexico, Bignonia potosina is used to tie together poles when building traditional Mayan homes. ^[8]