WATCH IT GROW
Sun sets flame vine aglow
Posted on Sun, Feb. 24, 2008
By GEORGIA TASKER
GEORGIA TASKER / MIAMI HERALD STAFF
Winter-flowering vine, Pyrostegia venusta, offers dramatic color in late afternoon light.
Name: Flame vine
Botanical name: Pyrostegia venusta
Description: When a western sun strikes it just right, the flame vine seems to ignite with dramatic clusters of slender flowers. The lobes of the flowers curl back to reveal the stigma and stamens, and a day later flowers will drop like spent embers.
The flowers contain nectar and are attractive to hummingbirds. Originally from Argentina, flame vine climbs by tendrils, and readily gallops over a fence, trellis, up into a tree and across a rooftop.
Height: into the tallest trees
Light: Sun to partial shade
Culture: Not fussy about its soil, the flame vine can go with the flow throughout our wet-dry seasons, requiring little attention. Lightly fertilize in spring and fall with controlled-release fertilizer. Be sure to cut back hard after flowering ceases.
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