To me one of the things I love about summer is flowers! And in the month of July, just before things get really hot, there are usually many blooms to enjoy. One of the things that I adore are flowering vines, which are much easier to grow in the ground, but can be grown in pots, with just a bit of luck and lower expectations. That said, I'm happy to report that I do have a flowering vine to enjoy on the little plant balcony outside my kitchen window, so yippee! I actually bought this plant by mistake, and it isn't necessarily hardy in our area, but I took it indoors when temps dropped, and out of two tiny plants, one survived, and started to re-grow in the spring. Introducing, drum roll please.......Thunbergia Laurifolia with lovely lavender/purple blooms, and certainly a vine to look into for your garden or container garden!
Thunbergia laurifolia, the laurel clockvine[ or blue trumpet vine, is native to India and Thailand and the Indo-malayan realm, the species occurs from Indochina to Malaysia. Hmmm, those areas do sound tropical, which is why I have to be vigilant about bringing my plant indoors when temps drop! That said I have seen this vine growing in Northern Israel in areas whose temps are similar to ours, so I'm guessing that in the ground this vine is quite adaptable. Ah yes, I just read that is does have a very involved root system!
Thunbergia laurifolia is a long-blooming vine, and thus a popular ornamental plant in tropical gardens. Propagation is from stem cuttings or shoots from the tuberous roots. It is a fast-growing perennial herbaceous climber, and thus has become invasive in many areas.
In Malaysia, juice from crushed leaves of T. laurifolia are taken for menorrhagia, placed into the ear for deafness, and applied for poulticing cuts and boils. In Thailand, leaves are used as an antipyretic, as well as for detoxifying poisons. Good to know!
T. laurifolia is used in Thailand for patients in drug addiction treatment, and two studies on lab rats show T. laurifolia may stimulate dopamine production!
It is always fun to know everything about that plant growing in your garden, right?
