Vines

Notes:

-- indicates plants commonly available in nurseries and/or garden centers in south Florida
indicates plants that can tolerate wet soils or occasional flooding.
Click on linked scientific names for photos and/or more information.

Common name *Scientific name*	Growth rate	Light	Salt tolerance	Comments
Purple allamanda -- Allamanda blanchetii UF Fact Sheet (57KB pdf)	Moderate	Full sun	None	Evergreen, vining shrub with purple, tubular flowers. Attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds. Also known as Allamanda violacea.
Dutchman’s pipe, calico flower -- Aristolochia elegans	Fast	Partial to full shade	Low	Evergreen vine with heart-shaped, tri-lobed, glossy light green leaves and unusual, 3” white/purple, upside-down heart-shaped flowers. Caution: The related A. littoralis is considered a FLEPPC Category II invasive in north and central Florida.
Bougainvillea -- Bougainvillea spp. UF Fact Sheet (62KB pdf)	Moderate	Full sun	None	Very showy, thorny vine-like shrub with best bloom during dry season. Numerous cultivars available in a striking array of colors, magenta being the most common. Some with variegated foliage. Best effect as a vine but can be trained as a shrub. Caterpillars occasional pest. Requires freely draining soil. Do not over-fertilize.
Beach bean Canavalia maritima UF Fact Sheet	Fast	Full sun	High	Attractive purple flowers. Excellent ground cover for beach-front locations, although it can grow into surrounding shrubs or over fences.
Canavalia rosea
Pineland snowberry © Chiococca alba UF Fact Sheet (42KB pdf)	Moderate	Full sun	Low	Native vining shrub with glossy green, elliptical to lanceolate leaves and tiny white flowers. Also known as C. pinetorum.
Glory bower vine, bleeding heart Clerodendrum thomsoniae	Moderate	Full sun to partial shade	Low	Interesting vine with weak- stemmed habit, 4" oval green leaves, and spectacular sprays of white bracts tipped with red flowers. Flowers in shade.
Violet trumpet vine Clytostoma callistegioides	Fast	Full sun to partial shade	Low	Robust, evergreen, woody vine with bright glossy green leaves and 3” lavender to purple, trumpet-shaped flowers, followed by large, prickly seed pods. Needs lots of room; best to grow on fence or pergola. Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.
Garlic vine -- Cydista aequinoctialis (212KB pdf) UF Fact Sheet (47KB pdf) Photo	Moderate	Full sun	Low	Attractive, trumpet-shaped flowers in lavender, pink and white—spring through fall. Prefers well-drained soil. Takes hard pruning after flowering.
Hyacinth bean, lablab bean Dolichos lablab	Moderate	Full sun	Low	Short-lived, perennial, twining vine with leaflets in threes and showy, bright purple flowers and pods. Grown for food in Asia and Africa; mature beans must be cooked in two changes of water to remove toxins. Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.
Lingaro Elaeagnus philippensis (Link is to related species) Photo	Moderate	Full sun	High	Shrubby, evergreen vine with attractive light green foliage, the underside a reddish brown. Small, fragrant, white flowers followed by edible fruit. Grows well on poor/calcareous soils. Caution: E. pungens, is FLEPPC Category II invasive.
Chinese hat plant Holmskioldia sanguinea UF Fact Sheet (42KB pdf)	Fast	Full sun to partial shade	Moderate	Unique flowers are main interest of this scrambling shrub/vine: each is a narrow, orange-scarlet tube backed by a broad, circular calyx, appearing in dense terminal clusters through summer and fall. Leaves oval and slightly serrated. Rampant growth can be contained by pruning after flowering. Old canes can be removed. Loses leaves during drought.
Night blooming cereus -- Hylocereus undatus The Pittaya In Florida (1.79MB pdf)	Moderate	Full sun to partial shade	High	Epiphytic, vining cactus with outstanding, scented, night- blooming flowers. Requires sturdy tree or strong pergola for support. Produces edible fruit.
Primrose jasmine Jasminum mesnyi	Fast	Full sun to partial shade	Low	Rambling, open, evergreen, shrub with long, arching stems that will climb if given support. Without support, grows as fountain-like mound. Fragrant, yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers. Caution: J. dichotomum and J. fluminense are FLEPPC Category I.
Downy jasmine Jasminum multiflorum	Fast	Full sun to partial shade	Low	Evergreen, branching vine that can be trained as a shrub. Stems and leaves covered with downy pubescence—giving plant grayish-green appearance. Small, white, star-shaped flowers in clusters—year-round. Caution: J. sambac is FLEPPC Category II.
Pink allamanda, mandevilla -- Mandevilla splendens UF Fact Sheet	Moderate	Full sun	Moderate	Evergreen, twisting climber. Lustrous green leaves are wide and elliptical to rectangular, and 8” long. From end of spring to beginning of summer, bears deep reddish-pink flowers with yellow centers.
Tropical wisteria Millettia reticulata Plant Profile	Fast	Full sun	Moderate	Very attractive, rose-pink to blue, pea-like flowers in terminal panicles during summer. Prefers freely draining soil. Mites and whiteflies possible pests.
Monstera -- Monstera deliciosa UF Fact Sheet (39KB pdf)	Slow	Full sun to partial shade	Low	Slow-growing vine or shrub with huge, broad, glossy, perforated and deeply cut leaves and woody stems with aerial roots. Mature plants bear thick, cream spathes followed by sweet-smelling, cone-like, edible fruit.
Passionflowers -- Passiflora spp. UF Fact Sheet (89KB pdf)	Fast	Full sun to partial shade	None	Twining vines with glossy, bright green, 3-lobed leaves and large bluish-purple, blue, white, or red flowers, and flavorsome, egg-sized, deep orange fruit. Host for numerous butterfly larvae. Passifloraincarnata is native to Florida. Caution: P. biflora and P. foetida are FLEPPC Category II invasives.
Wild allamanda © Pentalinon lutea UF Fact Sheet (38KB pdf)	Fast	Full sun to partial shade	Moderate	Native fast growing, twining vine—to 50’ in length. Lustrous, elliptical leaves with lighter colored midribs. Blooms year-round. Blossoms bright yellow, bell-shaped. Also known as Urechites lutea.
Giant philodendron-- Philodendron giganteum	Moderate	Full sun to partial shade	Low	Tall, climbing vine with rope-like stems and long aerial roots. Leaves to 3’, arrow-shaped, leathery, deep green.
Burle Marx philodendron -- Philodendron imbe	Moderate	Full sun to partial shade	Low	Tall, climbing vine with rope-like, purplish-red stems and large, arrow-shaped, leathery leaves that unfurl pink and bronze and turn to deep olive green. Variegated forms exist.
Flame vine Pyrostegia venusta UF Fact Sheet (74KB pdf)	Moderate	Full sun	Low	Grown for spectacular, mainly winter/spring terminal panicles of bright orange flowers. Should be severely cut back after flowering. Scales can be a pest.
Mistletoe cactus Rhipsalis baccifera	Slow	Light to full shade	None	Hanging epiphytic cactus with stems to 6’ long. Bears flowers and ‘berries’.
Mexican flame vine Senecio confusus UF Fact Sheet (47KB pdf)	Fast	Full sun	Low	Woody, tropical, evergreen vine with thick, arrowhead-shaped, serrated leaves. In summer, covered with brilliant, orange to red, daisy-like flowers. Compact growth habit. Attracts butterflies.
Cup of gold, chalice vine Solandra maxima	Fast	Full sun to partial shade	High	Heavy, woody, evergreen vine with ropelike stems that branch frequently and root at nodes. Large, shiny leaves and large, yellow to golden, chalice-like flowers, 6-10” long, flaring open to 4-7”; fragrant at night; reminiscent of coconut. Blooms best in winter dry season. Requires sturdy support. Loses leaves during drought.
Jade vine -- Strongylodon macrobotrys	Moderate	Full sun to partial shade	Low	Evergreen, twining vine with thick, woody stems, tri-lobed leaves. In spring and summer, produces spectacular aquamarine, claw- shaped flowers in huge hanging clusters to 5’ long. Grows best when roots in shade and foliage in sun.
Cape honeysuckle Tecomaria capensis	Fast	Full sun to light shade	High	Sprawling, rampant, evergreen, sometimes vine-like shrub. Compound leaves with 5-7 toothed, diamond-shaped leaflets. Clusters of brilliant red-orange to scarlet, tubular flowers. Can be pruned to shrub, trained to espalier, or grown as vine or ground-cover. Requires well-drained soil.
Yellow star jasmine Trachelospermum asiaticum UF Fact Sheet (98KB pdf)	Moderate	Partial to deep shade	High	Durable, low-growing, viney groundcover with slender stems that form dense, tangled mats. Small, glossy green leaves and small yellow flowers with spicy, jasmine- like fragrance. Not a true jasmine.

Vines

Notes:

Plant Categories

Cross-Reference