Super cool Collector Vine Cochliasanthus Vigna caracalla! Definitely a to "drool" over Plant. Very hard to find and accordingly priced.
There
are two similar looking plants called Vigna caracalla. Both produce
pretty, spiral-form flowers in soft pastel shades. And the foliage of both is
heart shaped, looking much like that of pole beans which makes sense because
these are legumes and are therefore related to beans. In fact, both plants will
produce slender, bean-like pods under good growing conditions.
Note: The
Snail Vine, Phaseolus giganteus, is
fairly widely available. This is an aggressive, sometimes invasive plant that
tends to root where the branches touch the ground and can be difficult to
eradicate. The flowers of the Snail Vine lack the fragrance that represents a
key reason gardeners choose to grow these plants. Snail vines are often
erroneously sold and labeled as Vigna caracalla.
The
true Corkscrew Vine (or Shell Vine - pictured), Cochliasanthus Vigna caracalla, is difficult to find but worth the effort. This vigorous and well-mannered garden plant produces
very cool spiral flowers with an incredible scent that's reminiscent of Chinese
wisteria and noticeable from 15 feet away. The intricate, curly flowers are
produced for several months during the summer. Originally from South America
and grown by Thomas Jefferson at Montecello, these are memorable plants. If
you've seen one in a private or public garden, locked on the amazing scent and
fanciful flowers, and always wanted one of your own, now you can make that
happen. > True Snail/Corkscrew Vine Cochliasanthus Vignacaracalla - Seeds found here
> Purple Snail Vine Phaseolus Giganteus adenanthus - Seeds found here
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Hi Medusa,
ReplyDeletethank you for visiting my blog. It's nice to see that also English speaking people are interested in.
Unfortunately Salzburg is too cold for growing exotic plants. But now I can enjoy the fabulous pictures on your blog.
Best wishes
kathrin
Thank you for the kind words. Your blog is lovely!
ReplyDeleteWow! What a beauty!
ReplyDeleteSorry, but there's a confusion over here. Both images you uploaded display same plant: Cochliasanthus caracalla.
ReplyDeleteThe other species, the truly invasive one, is called "Phaseolus giganteus", and you posted no picture of it. The caracalla vine has rainbow-colored flowers, the Phaseolus has more plain violet colours, and has a different shape.
Take a look at the "Confusion" part in Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochliasanthus
Thank you for your post. I am sorry to hear you are confused about the images or article. It is correct that both images are of the fragrant Cochliasanthus caracalla, the post is about the featured Cochliasanthus caracalla.
ReplyDeletePointing out "Phaseolus giganteus" was a merely a side note :) - please note the "Snail vines are often erroneously sold and labeled as Vigna caracalla" in my post. Hope this helps! :)