Devil’s-potato, Rubbervine
|
Echites umbellatus
|
Apocynaceae
|
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. |
Height: |
|
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. |
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. |
|
|
|
George D. Gann in habitat, Everglades National Park, 2012
|
|
George D. Gann in habitat, Everglades National Park, 2012
|
|
|
|