The MGS Forum
Plants for mediterranean gardens => Climbers => Topic started by: Rosie on July 06, 2013, 06:41:59 PM
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This is growing in a coastal garden here and grows away well from seed, we think it is evergreen but the lovely flowers are an unusual combination of creamy white and lilac coloured bee lines. As usual, any and all suggestions for a name very gratefully received. The fluffy seed pod suggested some sort of asclepiad ?
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Rosie,
It is Araujia sericifera, originated in S. America, has naturelized in many countries around the globe including the Mediterranean.
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Araujia is a great climber with highly perfumed flowers. It has a habit of " capturing" pollinating insects by their proboscis and this has led to the name " the cruel plant". It has one major downside; it readily spreads by seed. I think it is now considered to be invasive.
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It's certainly a weed in Melbourne! It's also known as the Kapok Vine because of the silky hairs that fill the pear-shaped fruits. When ripe the fruit splits open and the seeds are spread by their silken parachutes, much like dandelions and thistles.
It has a tap-root which makes it hard to weed out with a trowel or spade!
cheers
fermi
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Hello you lovely lot,
thanks very much indeed for the ID on this climber, sometimes the plants that are a bit too easy are the ones we should be most wary of ! I will spread the word on this to those few who I know have this plant and let them know about the invasive possibilities. We already have enough of those to contend with !
Thank you very much indeed, and all best wishes from the south west of Europe.