I took this photo of my Vigna caracalla towards the end of summer. I just love the colors in the flower. I'm not even mentioning the fragrance.....
Vigna caracalla
That is the coolest lookiing thing I have ever see other than the passifloras. I got to get one of those.
Flutter
Thanks, Joseph.
Flutter, I have some seeds if you are interested. This one was grown from seeds, and started flowering in it's second year.
Jumping All over that!!! Sending you an d-mail
Love ya!!!!
Flutter
WOW! Mine pathetic seedling has 6 leaves total, and is maybe 2" tall. Tamara
does any one have a wed site for a catalogue for house plants. i need things are a warming mat.
Tamara, just give it another season. I thought mine was not going to make it after the first year, but it took off in the second. Now I have to prune it to keep it in check!
Simply amazing...gorgeous colors - what type of scent would you say it has?
Beautiful. Somewhere on disc, I have a picture of a VC vine growing on the same trellis as Passiflora Incense. They sure look nice together. Found it.
Brugie, I agree. The two really compliment each other.
Chantell, it is difficult to describe. I associate it with wonderful warm balmy nights. I get this feeling of total well being, this lovely feeling of contentment. Difficult to describe the smell. Somebody described it as a "romantic" fragrance.
Elsa
Oh Elsa, so this is what the seeds we traded will look like when I grow them? I can almost feel their scent!
Hugs,
Ursula
I have this vine! It has just started to bloom from a February seeding. I think it smells rather like hyacinth...
Just noticed today we have a seed pod starting and a ton of new flower buds. I understand that tiny ants polinate the flowers. We have no shortage of ants in the tropics so maybe I will have some seed to share.....
Hi Ursula,
Yes, that's the one. How are you doing? Some of my Alstromerias has already germinated. Can't wait for them to flower (long wait, I know) LOL!
Have a wonderful day,
Elsa
I've heard it [ caracalla ] discribed as vanilla.. mine was real sweet a few years ago... but I'm a sweet-a-hollic
I'm growing the other Vigna [ corkscrew vine ] from seed this year... it's about 7' tall now since spring... so I'm looking for blooms this first year.. but then I allways do.. Gordon
I love it, this is the most international of threads!!!
Gordon, I know what you mean: "so I'm looking for blooms this first year.. but then I always do".
I usually keep looking until they decide to flower just to get me to leave them alone. I am not good at playing the waiting game...
Talking about sweet smelling. Do you have a Mandevilla laxa? They smell equally as good as Vigna caracalla.
I wish mine would go ahead and bloom, I may have it in to o much shade. I can't seem to find a happy place for it. I only got a couple blooms on it last year, hoping for more this year.
Your bloom is so beautiful, and I can smell it all the way over here LOL
"sticking her nose up to the computer"
LOL
kathy
Ok, that is the most gorgeous flower I have ever seen in my life. I keep coming back to this thread just to look at the picture. This is now definitely on my "must have" list. Absolutely beautiful!
Elsa, Your flower is just beautiful. How old is your vine? What type of soil do you have it in?
I wonder if anyone has ever unravelled a flower to see just how long it actually is! I was told that to get seeds, there is just one type of mini ant that actually has the ability to crawl to the end to pollinate the flower. I have mini sugar ants which I'm forever putting out corn syrup + boric acid to get rid of them! An invasion of the kitchen is not of the pollinating sort! But I do wonder if this is the mini ant that's supposed to be the Caracalla pollinator??? Anyone else know anything about the pollinator?
Marinemomcowpuncher, try Logees.com for house plants. There is another site I think its 'glasshouse.com or something like that. Midwest somewhere.
I had a nice large vine, but I think my soil was just too alkaline for this gorgeous plant. I have a mini one in a pot now, but it seems to have come to a definite growth halt! Ah well.... I have the photos I took of the complicated flowers. Alas, Memory Photos, but no vine with flowers!
Here's the site she's talking about: http://www.glasshouseworks.com/ They have an amazing selection of coleus, along with many house and tropical plants. Tamara
Beautiful vine and flower. I love the combination of the VC vine growing on the same trellis as Passiflora Incense.
Elsa, I have the Mandevilla laxa and is one of my favorites. I had one for almost 20 years and lost it several years ago. I started some from seed last year. The vines are beginning to get some size but no blooms yet. Hope it won't be long. I worry the poor plants to death looking for buds every week. LOL
These are blooms from my old Mandevilla laxa this is a scanned photo and not that clear. The blooms are wonderful.
Gordon, If it blooms I'll save you seeds.
Betty
Thought I'd add to Elsa's beauty, with some close-up pics.
Beautiful Flower and Photos. Zone envy here. LOL
That is another one that I have got to have.
Betty
bedouin, my vine is four years old, and it is growing in loam garden soil. It gets some tomato fertilizer once in a blue moon, an other than that not much attention other than a good drink of water sometimes every second or third day depending on the weather. I loves the sun. It is growing on a fence, and although it gets sun from both sides, the side getting afternoon sun tends to have the most flowers. Unfortunately for me that is on the neighbor's side. LOL.
Yes, the ants are responsible for pollination, and we have loads of small "black ants". They are the ones that you will find coming into your house once the temperature drops outside, and I usually struggle well into the winter to get rid of them. They are a real nuisance once the are in your kitchen. That said, even in the garden. They have this love of making their nests inside flower pots, and it can be so bad that the flowers give up and die... Watering the garden in summer ends to be a mission with them running all over your feet, and sometimes the soldier ants will give you a good bite. Luckily nothing like fire ants. Just an irritation more than anything else. Luckily they pay a part of their debt by fertilizing my flowers.
indiana_lily, I have a few more seeds if you are interested. The same goes for Mandevilla laxa.
picabo, keep in mind that you can treat the Vigna the same way you would dahlias. By that I mean take it out and bring it inside for the winter. I read a few interesting articles on that. Just Google for more info.
Wow...I didn't know that I needed this until I saw it..the name was familiar but I don't believe I'd seen the flowers, and of course it's going to have to be planted with the 'Incense' passi.I started mandevilla laxa from seed years ago and propagated more from the seeds of the original and to me they were scentless. Anyone else have this experience? I'll try it again with hopes of better luck.
Sherry
Elsa, you are a late owl, or an early bird! Obviously, I am one as well....
A nice pic of an Antignon Leptopus!
Oh Elsa, I would most definitely be interested in seeds. Thank you so much for offering. Is there anything you may be wanting in exchange? I've got seeds of many different things, so if there's been something you've been wanting, I just may have it.
bedouin
Too bad I didn't know you when I lived in Hollywood Fl. Your vines are wonderful.I have never seen Antignon Leptopus.
Elsa
I have 3 vines going from the seeds you sent me.Your vines are really beautiful.Do you have fire ants in S.Africa?
Hi downscale_babe,
Glad you got some vines going. No, luckily no fire ants. We are very lucky ... no hurricanes, no tornado's, rarely any floods, no extremely cold winters... need I say more?! LOL!
Ah Elsa, Just checked my baby Vigna and its as dead as a doornail! Ah well. sigh! This is about the 3rd time I've tried growing this vine here in zone 10a/b. Maybe its just too hot for it. Such a pity!
The Antignon Leptopus is not from my yard, but from Butterfly World's vine. There is one entangled in a hedge used around a local septic tank and I've taken some cuttings but none have rooted for me so far! Its on my list, so I'll give it another shot at rooting. If not, I'll check with BW. Its beautiful, isnt it and the colours are 'true'. But its terribly invasive here.
downscale_babe, I'm part of a gardening group here in FT L., mostly Master Gardeners but everyone is welcome. We go on outings together and share plants. One of our group is an ace at rooting cuttings, even the most difficult of plants. (Galloping Gardeners, Florida forum). Too bad you were not aware of GG when you lived here. You'd have been very welcome.
Elsa you are sooo lucky! Speaking of hurricanes.....A fierce storm has just hit us again for the past hour, torrential rain, masses of lightning and thunder. The wind is dying down right now, but its sitll raining. However, the thunder is still beating the drums! We are STILL fixing Hurricane Wilma damage. I miss the shade of the portch which 'imploded' due to that horrible hurricane!
Oh Elsa....I agree w/bedouin....Pretoria sounds beautiful...like your little own garden of Eden.
My vigna caracella is growing up a trellis...I think I see flower buds, but am not sure if that's what they are, or simply leaf buds. It's in a whiskey barrel with two types of passion fruit, (edulis and incarnata) as well as luffa and a variety of Italian melons, that I've never grown before, plus a stephanotis vine. Hope I didn't over-plant that barrel!
Will send pics soon as my daughter shows me how to use her fancy camera...
cycra,
I would love to see your pics. Can't wait.
Elsa
Hi Elsa, I just wanted to let you know that all the Bigna caracalla seeds you sent me germinated and are very happy growing in the greenhouse. Thank you again for the opportunity to grow these out.
Patricia
Bedouin, watch for seeds on the Antigonon vine. It's easy to start from seed.
Jackie
There are some other great pics of this vine in the PlantFiles (I don't know how to insert a link in these). I have 2 of the vines in my backyard and my neighbor has 1. These were about a foot tall when we purchased them from eBay in May and mine now has about 4 tendrils each that are twisting all around the fence. They've reached the top of the fence and doubled back now. Will I get blooms this year? Is there something I can use to force blooms?
I've just taken some cuttings of the Antignon Leptopus from the privacy barrier nearby. I've put them in water with 'Plant Thrive'. Hope some root this way, but will strike some in the next couple of days.
Hi Patricia,
Good to hear from you. I am so glad you were so successful.
E
My Phaseolus caracalla .. snail vine... is now starting to bloom.. it's grown out of the container up it's 6' trellis to the top.. and is now climbing up the coxal down feed from the tv antenna..
like many vines... I get the first flowers on the south side of the vine..
