Chalice vine, also called Solandra, is marvelous thanks to its magnificent blooming.
Chalice vine, Solandra facts
Name – Solandra maxima
Family – Solanaceae or nightshade
Type – shrub, climbing vine
Height – 16 feet (5 m)
Exposure – full sun
Soil: rich enough – Foliage: evergreen – Flowering: end of spring → early fall
Care and pruning are easy and the result is often magnificent.
Preferably in spring.
Chalice vine isn’t a very hardy plant at all.
You’ll have to grow or bring it indoors if temperatures drop below 40°F (5°C). Make sure you bind the trellis and pot strongly so it won’t break when moving the pot around.
It isn’t necessary to prune it.
If you wish to enhance the blooming, prune lightly at the end of winter.
As your chalice vine grows, it’s crucial to keep training it. Tether it as branches grow, because this vine isn’t able to latch on by itself.
Chalice vine is a climbing shrub native to Mexico.
The blooming is magnificent and the flowers, shaped like trumpets, are in a class of their own in terms of elegance.
Caring for this shrub is easy, and it will effortlessly climb along a lattice or fence.
Note that Solandra is a toxic plant, just like its cousin Datura. You should wear gloves and glasses when you handle the plant.
Indeed, the chalice vine contains atropine compounds in both leaves and flowers – a very toxic molecule.
The Aztec civilization even used it for herbal medicine, centuries ago, and their descendants still count it as a therapeutic plant.
From the easier-to-find species, the following are noteworthy:
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Only choose to grow Solandra if the climate in your area is mild, because it is vulnerable to cold frost spells.
