Vine milkweed, Gulf Coast swallowwort
Seutera angustifolia
Apocynaceae


Landscape Uses:

Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also butterfly gardens in wet brackish areas along the coast.

Ecological Restoration Notes:

Most common in tidal marshes, where its occurrence is somewhat sporadic.
Availability:
Grown by enthusiasts.
Description:
Scrambling or twining vine with narrow leaves.
Height:
N/A; vine with stems to 10 feet or more in length.
Growth Rate:
Moderate to fast.
Range:
Southeastern United States west to Texas and south to the Monroe County Keys; West Indies, Mexico and Central America.
Habitats:
Tidal marshes, coastal thickets and marl prairies.
Soils:
Wet to moist, poorly-drained to periodically inundated brackish or freshwater soils.
Nutritional Requirements:
Moderate; can grow in nutrient poor soils, but needs some organic content to thrive.
Salt Water Tolerance:
Moderate; tolerates brackish water or occasional inundation by salt water.
Salt Wind Tolerance:
Moderate; grows near salt water, but is protected from direct salt spray by other vegetation.
Drought Tolerance:
Low; requires moist to wet soils and is intolerant of long periods of drought.
Light Requirements:
Full sun.
Flower Color:
Greenish-white.
Flower Characteristics:
Inconspicuous.
Flowering Season:
Spring-fall.
Fruit:
Slender pod with wind dispersed seeds.
Wildlife and Ecology:
Rarely a larval host plant for queen (Danaus gilippus) butterflies; a possible larval host for soldier (Danaus eresimus) butterflies. Nectar plant for butterflies and other insects.
Horticultural Notes:
Can be grown from seed or cuttings.
Comments:
The sap is white.


Shirley Denton
Shirley Denton
Keith A. Bradley
Keith A. Bradley
Beryn Harty, 2021.
Beryn Harty, 2021.
Beryn Harty, 2021.