A single specimen was first discovered on Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands, 55 km (34 mi) off the northern tip of New Zealand, during a scientific survey in 1945.

[2] In autumn or early winter it bears long cream-coloured tubular flowers that emerge directly from the stem in large clusters.

[2] Nevertheless, the flowers of plants growing in cultivation are readily pollinated by a large number of native and exotic birds.

The original specimen still grows in the wild, and has developed more vines through the natural process of layering in the years since its discovery.

After a decade, the plants raised by the horticulturists finally set seed, and Tecomanthe speciosa has subsequently become popular in New Zealand gardens as a vigorous climber of tropical appearance.