Combretum rotundifolium

Family: Combretaceae •
Genus: Combretum •
Species: rotundifolium •
Country of Origin: South America •
Synonyms: Combretum aubletii •
Common Names: Monkey Brush •

This is one of my favorite vines. I picked this up at a Fairchild plant sale. It blooms in late winter/early spring here in South Florida. It has amazing flowers and stunning foliage. It is a semi-deciduous climber that can grow up to 20' without trimming. Monkey Brush does best with fertile well drained soil and thrives in areas like South Florida that have seasonal dry winters. Full to partial sun. The beautiful leaves change color as they mature from red to yellow and finally green, they are typically 5 to 6 inches long and roughly 2 to 3 inches wide. The flowers are red with long yellow stamens that turn orange then red and are about 6 to 8 inches long. This plant is cold sensitive and I lost a lot of leaves this year when it got down to into the thirties, but it is putting on new growth since it started warming up, and the cold didn't affect the flower buds that were forming. I'd highly recommend this vine to anyone who lives in a frost free area. Zones 10-11


Combretum rotundifolium by Eric Bronson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at www.flickr.com

Blue Sky Vine Thunbergia grandiflora

One of the vines I have growing on my back fence along with my Passion Fruit (Passiflora edulis) and Coral (Antigonon leptopus) vines. It's not fragrant like the other two but it is worth having just for these beautiful blue flowers. It died off last year in one of our little cold snaps but it has finally recovered and is flowering well.




Family: Acanthaceae •
Genus: Thunbergia •
Species: grandiflora •
Country of Origin: India •
Common Names: Bengal Clock Vine, Clock Vine, Sky Flower •

From a distance, this twining, flowering vine looks like a morning glory and even up close the flowers are quite similar. The tubular flowers of the skyflower vine are a little deeper, about 3 in (7.6 cm) long, and are borne in drooping clusters. The most commonly seen varieties are sky blue to light violet although there is a white flowered type as well. Leaves are leathery and have a distinctive elongated heart shape. The plant grows fast in warm weather, easily covering a trellis or large section of fence in one season. It is one of the most free flowering vines for shade in the South and is underused due to lack of distribution. Growth slows or stops in cool temperatures, and the top is killed to the ground after a freeze. In frost free climates, it is evergreen. USDA Zones 8-11.
from (Thunbergia grandiflora)



Blue Sky Vine Thunbergia grandiflora by Eric Bronson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at www.flickr.com

Passiflora suberosa Corky Stem Passion Vine

Passiflora suberosa
Family: Passifloraceae •
Genus: Passiflora •
Species: suberosa L. •
Country of Origin: Native to Florida •
Common Names: corky passionflower, devil's pumpkin, huehue haole, indigo berry, wild passionfruit •

This is our native Florida passion vine. I grow it for the two kinds of butterflies that use it as a larval food i.e. the Zebra Longwing (Heliconius charithonia) and the Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae). It has interesting miniature flowers typical of this genus and a one of a kind "corky" trunk. These vines have volunteered in my yard as long as I've been gardening. I recognized the flowers did a little research and discovered that these plants were native to Florida. I've since let them grow wherever the pop up. I was rewarded with a multitude of butterflies in my yard on a daily basis.




Passiflora suberosa by Eric Bronson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at www.flickr.com

Bower Vine Pandorea jasminoides

Bower Vine Pandorea jasminoides
Family: Bignoniaceae •
Genus: Pandorea •
Species: jasminoides (Lindl.) K.Schum. •
Country of Origin: Australia •
Common Names: Bower Vine •

Bower vine, or pandorea, is a bushy, twining vine with woody stems and pinnate, evergreen leaves. The 5-9 lance shaped leaflets are 1-2 in (2.5-5 cm) long. Fragrant pink to red tubular flowers are clustered in hanging panicles. They bloom in warm weather, from spring through summer. There are several named cultivars differing in flower color.
excerpt from
(Pandorea jasminoides)




Bower Vine by Eric Bronson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at www.flickr.com

Mexican Flame Vine Pseudogynoxys chenopodioides

Mexican Flame Vine Pseudogynoxys chenopodioides
Family: Asteraceae •
Genus: Pseudogynoxys •
Species: chenopodioides (Kunth) •
Country of Origin: Mexico •
Common Names: Mexican Flame Vine •

Mexican flame vine is a woody tropical vine with the enchanting summertime habit of covering itself in brilliant daisy-like flowers. The bright orange blossoms are about 1 in (2.5 cm) in diameter and are borne in small clusters. As they age the flowers change from orange to almost red. They are followed by fruiting structures that resemble smaller versions of the dandelion's puffy seed heads. This vine has thick evergreen leaves that are shaped like arrowheads and serrated on the edges. They are arranged alternately on the vine and are deep green in color providing a handsome background for the fiery orange flowers.
excerpt from
(Pseudogynoxys chenopodioides)



Mexican Flame Vine by Eric Bronson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at www.flickr.com

Coral Vine Antigonon leptopus

Coral Vine Antigonon leptopus
Family: Polygonaceae •
Genus: Antigonon •
Species: leptopus (Hook. & Arn.) Stuntz •
Country of Origin: Mexico •
Common Names: Mexican creeper, coral vine, corallita, confederate vine •

This vine has taken over the fence at the back of my property. Finally! I love it and so do the bees. I planted it there with every intention of it filling the whole fence and it didn't let me down! Neon pink flowers and a million bees to pollinate my fruit flowers too. What more could I ask for? Unfortunately, it is listed as an invasive species see below.

Coral vine is list as a Category II invasive species by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council which means: " Invasive exotics that have increased in abundance or frequency but have not yet altered Florida plant communities to the extent shown by Category I species. These species may become ranked Category I, if ecological damage is demonstrated."
excerpt from
(Antigonon leptopus)



Coral Vine by Eric Bronson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at www.flickr.com