BajaNomad

Can anyone ID this vine

Alan - 7-19-2010 at 11:21 PM

My daughter has been trying to ID this plant with no luck. I think it is a vine but it doesn't really climb on it's own. I think it is evergreen but get white clusters that have a dark red pestal that extends out the center. When the white blossoms die they turn so black you would think they were burned.

unknown vine.jpg - 45kB

ecomujeres - 7-20-2010 at 12:03 AM

If the flowers look like those in the following photo, except for the color (my plant can have white, pink or maroonish flowers):



then the plant is likely Quisqualis indica (Rangoon creeper or Chinese honeysuckle), a native of Asia and an introduced ornamental in Mexico/Baja.

The plant in my photo is fairly common in gardens in BCS, and maybe even in BCN. There is another plant that superficially resembles the one in my photo, but unfortunately I don't have a photo of it to help me remember its exact details or to show you.

Alan: Can you take close up photos showing both flowers and leaves? That would either help cinch it, or send me looking in another direction.

Mexitron - 7-20-2010 at 06:09 AM

I think I saw a red version of that vine in Todos Santos a couple weeks ago---the leaves resemble a Bleeding heart Vine but the flowers are different---its a new one to me.

Alan - 7-20-2010 at 06:28 AM

Here is a closeup of the flower. The white portion is sort of a lantern shape with the texture of a bouganvilla bloom and then there is a deep red flower with a really long pestal that comes from inside that.

unknown vine 2.jpg - 48kB

Mexitron - 7-20-2010 at 06:41 AM

I'll go out on a limb (heh, botanist's humor) and say its a Clerodendrum thomsoniae (Bleeding Heart Vine) or a white version of Clerodendrum speciosum. The Bleeding Heart has little colored petals inside those white bracts which I can't see from the photo...but there are something like 60 different Clerodendrums so maybe ther's one without the color. Interestingly enough, the Clerodendrums are in the Mint Family.

Alan - 7-20-2010 at 06:52 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Mexitron
I'll go out on a limb (heh, botanist's humor) and say its a Clerodendrum thomsoniae (Bleeding Heart Vine) or a white version of Clerodendrum speciosum. The Bleeding Heart has little colored petals inside those white bracts which I can't see from the photo...but there are something like 60 different Clerodendrums so maybe ther's one without the color. Interestingly enough, the Clerodendrums are in the Mint Family.
Wow, you nailed it. It is the Clerodendrum thomsoniae. Thanks for finding ity for us. My daughter will be thrilled to finally know what it is. She brought home some seeds from it so know she can learn it's requirements.

wilderone - 7-20-2010 at 07:45 AM

What a beautiful flower. Says can be propagated by cuttings (probably faster than seeds):

Culture: Clerodendrum thomsoniae is an excellent tub or hanging basket plant. It needs a good rich potting soil with sand added to improve drainage. Clerodendrum thomsoniae needs to be kept moist but not exceedingly wet with plenty of good light. Since Clerodendrum thomsoniae blooms on new growth it is best to cut them back after blooming.

Propagation: Clerodendrum thomsoniae is mainly propagated by cuttings, although Clerodendrum can also propagated from seed. Cuttings root in 10-14 days under mist at 70 degrees F.

ecomujeres - 7-20-2010 at 10:08 AM

Mexitron -- excelente! Alan's photo is of the "other" plant I mentioned and didn't know the name. Thanks!

I'm pretty sure it's the same genus that I've seen of another vine with maroon sepals/bracts and deep pink corolla. Or is that someting else? I'm not that strong on identifying hort cultivars.

Mexitron - 7-20-2010 at 12:17 PM

ecomujeres---is this the maroon plant you are thinking of? Its the one I saw and took this pic of in Todos acouple weeks ago, so it would be blooming now....I think its Clerodendrum speciosum but that's IDing by google images---always dangerous!

Mexitron - 7-20-2010 at 12:42 PM

Here's some other vines I saw in BCS:

Allamanda cathartica:




Pyrostegia venusta:




Thunbergia grandiflora:



Allamanda 'Cherries Jubilee'



[Edited on 7-20-2010 by Mexitron]

ecomujeres - 7-20-2010 at 03:37 PM

Mexitron - yep, that's it. Now that I think about it, when it's pressed and dried, it's calyx/bracts are much more maroon. Thanks! And lovely vine photos too.

Alan - 7-20-2010 at 04:54 PM

Wow!!! What spectacular photos. That is what I love about Nomads. One never knows the treasures they may receive when posting a question here. Thank you all.

DianaT - 7-20-2010 at 05:08 PM

Mexitron----Fantastic photos---those are absolutely beautiful!

Alan, glad you got that plant identified---between Mexitron and ecomujeres, you can't go wrong. It would be fun to try and find a plant in Baja that neither one of them knows. :biggrin:

[Edited on 7-21-2010 by DianaT]

ecomujeres - 7-20-2010 at 11:16 PM

Uh, oh...better not be an ornamental !! My library is only full of resources for Baja and CA native plants, so please be kind! :)

Natalie Ann - 7-21-2010 at 07:02 AM

So many beautiful blooms first thing in the morning. Thanks, amigos, you've made my day.

nena