Chalice Vine
Solanaceae
24.8934, 67.0281
Field Notes
Description:
Solandra Grandiflora, more popularly known as Chalice Vine or Cup of Gold, is a perennial fast-growing climbing vine or liana. This vine quickly takes root and grabs onto the surrounding vegetation for support, the base stalk is thick, heavy and ropelike. These vines can easily exceed over 100 feet (30 meters) in length, each node on the branch will sprout tendrils and take root, giving the whole plant more stability and a larger root system to improve its ability to access essential nutrients: water, minerals, sunlight, ect. The leaves grow directly from the main stalk and side branches and are uniformly dark green, thick, with a smooth supple texture; they can grow as large as 6 inches (15 cm) in length, 3 inches (7 cm) wide and are oval shaped.
Habitat:
Cup of Gold is indigenous to the central Mexico region, naturally growing as far south as Chiapas and as far north as the sub-tropical regions of the Southern United Sates. In the United States it is known to grow wildly in Southern California, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama South Carolina, North Carolina and Florida. Cup of Gold also grows in Central America, and has even spread to South America, and to several of the Caribbean islands. It has also been seen growing in the West Indies, and Australia.
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