Jade Vines

Now that I can offer high humidity at high temperatures in my garden room, I have been looking round at other plants which might appreciate those conditions.

One such group is the Jade Vines. Jade Vine is a name given to two physically similar, but unrelated, genuses - Strongylodon and Mucuna. They both need high humidity and high over wintering temperatures, which is probably why they are such rare plants, not often seen outside botanical gardens in the UK.

Green Jade Vine - Strongy macrobotrys

This is probably the best known of the Jade Vines, due to it's amazing colour which is unlike that of any other plant. It comes from the Philippines, and is a big plant growing up to 60 feet or more. It likes high humidity and a minimum winter temperature of 16C. I understand that it won't flower till the main stem is about 3/4 inch thick. I was lucky enough to get an example from Hill House Nursery in Devon, but even the owner Ray Hubbard said that his mother plant had never flowered. However I have seen it in flower in the tropical greenhouse at RHS whisley.

Blue Jade Vine - Strongylodon caeruleus

There are about 14 recognised species of Strongylodon, but other than macrobotrys and siderospermus there is essentially no information on any of the others, and nearly all picture links of different species point to a picture of S. macrobotrys. The above picture, from a botanical site, was the only one that I could find that seems to be of a genuinely different species. The same site mentioned S. elmeri, which looked exactly like macrobotrys.

Orange Jade Vine - Strongylodon siderospermus

The only other Strongylodon for which some information is available is siderospermus above. A single seed can cost you over £30 . This one comes from New Guinea and is also a rare and protected species. It is a similar size and appears to have similar growing requirements to macrobotrys.

Red Jade Vine

Although this looks similar in shape to S macrobotrys, it's a totally different genus. It's also known as the Scarlet Jade Vine or New Guinea Creeper. And as its name implies its a native of Papua New Guinea. It is said to be rarer than the Green Jade Vine though sometimes single seeds are offered for sale. These seeds, like the other Jade Vines seeds, are huge. However one person, where they grew locally, said that the seed is only viable for about a week - it could be well the same for macrobotrys and others. Growing requirements seem to be similar to those of the Green Jade Vine.

Purple Jade Vine - Mucuna sempervirens

There are a number of Mucuna species that are called the Purple Jade Vine, including an annual M. pruriens, and perennials M. sempervirens and cyclocarpa. In each case the flowers are very similar and the seeds are huge.

I managed to buy a packet of 5 sempervirens seed from Chiltern a couple of years ago, though I see they don't do them any more. My seeds nearly all germinated; perhaps they were fresh or perhaps M. sempervirens is just easier. I was a little bit apprehensive when I read on the internet that they could grow up to 65 feet in their first year. At 8 feet my plant fell a bit short. I don't think it got enough heat. It hasn't flowered yet, but I am hopeful.

 

I've never heard of these plants, but your photos are amazing. The green vine is a spectacular colour. Thank you for sharing such interesting information. The red jade vine is breathtaking. Makes me think of a hotel I stayed at on the Venetian Lido, but I don't think it was that exact vine.

 

@PeterS , you really are setting your sights high these days.
Good luck mate

 

Thanks John, Irmemac and Pete.

I agree, its almost more impressive than the green Jade. That is one I would love to see. It seems to be about the rarest of the lot. Just over a year ago I went to a nursery in Madeira where there was a superb Green Jade in flower, as well as a Purple Jade that wasn't in flower. I asked the owner about M. bennettii - the Red Jade, and even he said he didn't know where to get one.

High is the right word Pete - most of these can grow to 100 feet or more. Too many of them in a 16' by 10' sun room may be a bit of a squeeze .

 

Get a wisteria @PeterS , it's a lot easier

 

Was it M.sempervivens that you sent me? Much hardier than I would have imagined!

 

Yes - I have just one plant and wouldn't dare to leave it outside overwinter.

It's silly really, its only by other peoples experience that you can find out how hardy things are. For a long time I had a Camassia and protected it over the winter as I thought it wasn't hardy, until someone on this forum said that it was.

 

It was next to the house wall and had the added benefits of the eaves helping to keep it pretty much dry and being in a huddle with other plants. It actually stayed evergreen.