Can you guess what this flower is?

joanmary_z10

21 years ago

This is the first flower of the season. Can you guess what it is?

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Comments (9)

shrubs_n_bulbs
21 years ago
I know what it is. Did you know you posted in the UK forum? This plant is grown as a conservatory plant here, although maybe a few souls in the warmest spots have tried it outside. Reminds me, got to go check the hostas ...
cincinnata
21 years ago
Looks like Vigna Caracalla - Corkscrew Vine. Any UKers who want seed, drop me a line through 'My Page' as I have masses.
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joanmary_z10
Original Author
21 years ago
Well done! Joanmary
vetivert8
21 years ago
Ooops. Still back in the Dark Ages - Phaseolus was the only label to come to mind. Bothersome botanists!
shrubs_n_bulbs
21 years ago
I know it as Snail Vine. And I know it as Phaseolus. Is that not the correct name any more?
joanmary_z10
Original Author
21 years ago
My understanding is that Corkscrew vine, which is fragrant, is the Vigna Caracalla; the Snail vine being the Phaseolus Caracalla which is not fragrant.

There is so much confusion about the correct botanical names for both of them as you point out!

Vines of the world by Edwin A Menninger says this:

ÂVIGNA: Vigna is separable from Phaseolus only by the keel petals which are not spirally twisted, though often incurvedÂ

By rights, we should id them as given here, Menninger being at the top of the list, horticulturally speaking! The nurseries here in the States id the Corkscrew vine as the Vigna Caracalla for the most part.

The vines I bought fairly recently Âre the photo Â were identified as Âsnail vineÂ. Before I bought them I tracked down one person who knew something about them. He said that it IS the snail vine, but it's fragrant. Totally contradictory!

Anyhow, the snail vine is fairly rampant and the corkscrew one is tidier, I have found!

I have checked quite a few of my books and they confuse me even more, calling the snail vine Phaseolus as well as Vigna. So I am still confused, but I just go with the flow here!!! Joanmary
crazylady
21 years ago
The Plant Finder has Phaseolus caracalla now correctly Vigna caracalla. Presumably the fragrance is just a variation.

Did you know our climate in the UK is nothing like a US Zone 8, so we can't grow the same plants as you do?

We are still having frost at night, snow in some places, hailstones here today with a daytime temperature of less than 60, with cloud and rain year-round. Our summer temperatures may reach 100 if we have a heat wave, and our light levels are nothing like you have so near the Equator.
joanmary_z10
Original Author
21 years ago
CrazyLady, I suppose there are ++ and -- no matter where one lives. I have lived in England and love the climate. You have the mist; we have the hurricanes!

But its quite a lovely picture of the flower, isn't it!

Joanmary
reneenunez
21 years ago
The phaesolus not only has no fragrance, but the flowers are completely different. The color is uniformly violet and the petal texture isn't fleshy as in vigna. I'm not sure how they were ever confused as the only thing they have in common is a sort of spiral growth of the flower.