return to: checklist; family Bignoniaceae; keys

Macfadyena unguis-cati (L.) A. Gentry [syns: Bignonia unguis-cati L., Doxantha unguis-cati (L.) Miers]; cat's claw creeper

Woody liana climbing by means of hooked claw-like tendrils; leaves opposite, compound, 2-foliolate (terminal leaflet modified as a 3-lobed tendril); flowers uniformly yellow; fruit elongate.

Additional images:

• juvenile plants on tree trunk
• juvenile plants from the soil (photographed near Dzilbilchaltun)
• flower (photographed at Flamingo Lakes Resort)

Tendril tips are stiffly recurved, each resembling a cat's claw; this feature provides a useful means for identification of juvenile and sterile specimens. Listed as an important source of pollen and/or nectar for bees (Souza Novello 1981, Suarez Molina 1981).