General Landscape Uses:
Vine on trellises and fences. Wildflower and rock gardens.
Ecological Restoration Notes: Relatively common in pine rocklands and coastal uplands along the east coast.
Availability:
Grown by enthusiasts.
Description: Clambering or climbing vine.
Dimensions: N/A; a vine with stems 5 feet or more in length.
Growth Rate: Moderate to fast.
Range:
Monroe County north along the east coast to Brevard County; West Indies, southern Mexico and northern Central America.
Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Map of Postal Code Areas of IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Habitats: Pine rocklands, hammock edges and coastal thickets.
Soils: Moist, well-drained limestone or sandy soils, with or without humusy top layer.
Nutritional Requirements: Moderate to low; it prefers soils with organic content, but will still grow reasonably well in nutrient poor soils.
Salt Water Tolerance: Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance: High; can tolerate moderate amounts of salt wind without significant injury.
Drought Tolerance: High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements: Full sun.
Flower Color: White.
Flower Characteristics: Showy.
Flowering Season: All year; peak in summer.
Fruit: Paired slender pods that open on one side, 6-8" long. Dispersal is by wind.
Wildlife and Ecology: Larval host for native moths, including the oleander moth (or polka dot wasp moth;
Syntomeida epilais), tetrio sphinx moth (
Pseudosphinx tetrio), and Uncle Sam moth (or faithful beauty;
Composia fidelissima). For an excellent article by George Rogers on devil’s-potato as a host for moths, visit the
Treasure Coast Natives blog.
Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from seeds. For excellent and detailed information on Devil’s-potato propagation, see Fairchild Tropical Garden's
Connect To Protect fact sheet.
Comments: An attractive vining wildflower. See a 2018 post on the
Treasure Coast Natives blog on Devil’s-Potato and Its Mimectic Moths.
