Growing Funastrum cynanchoides:
Climbing Milkweed
Description
Form: Twining vine.
Lifespan: Perennial.
Leaf retention: Deciduous.
Growth rate: Rapid.
Mature Size: 10-15' (3-4.5m) long.
Flowers: Five maroon, pink or white petals with short hairs on their margins (fringed), five stamens, grouped in rounded clusters.
Bloom: Mid-spring into summer.
Fruit: Long, tapered pods that split open when dry, filled with tufted seeds ready to catch the wind.
Leaves: Green, variable in form, usually heart-shaped, but some resemble a long, thin arrowhead.
Stems: Green and herbaceous, twining, smooth. When cut or broken, they exude a milky sap with a foul odor.
Roots: A taproot, becoming longer with age. Invasive in moist soil.
Wildlife: The flowers attract butterflies and bees. Climbing Milkweed is a food plant for Monarch and Queen butterfly caterpillars.
Toxic / Danger: The sap is a skin irritant.
Origin: Southwestern United States and Mexico.
Form: Twining vine.
Lifespan: Perennial.
Leaf retention: Deciduous.
Growth rate: Rapid.
Mature Size: 10-15' (3-4.5m) long.
Flowers: Five maroon, pink or white petals with short hairs on their margins (fringed), five stamens, grouped in rounded clusters.
Bloom: Mid-spring into summer.
Fruit: Long, tapered pods that split open when dry, filled with tufted seeds ready to catch the wind.
Leaves: Green, variable in form, usually heart-shaped, but some resemble a long, thin arrowhead.
Stems: Green and herbaceous, twining, smooth. When cut or broken, they exude a milky sap with a foul odor.
Roots: A taproot, becoming longer with age. Invasive in moist soil.
Wildlife: The flowers attract butterflies and bees. Climbing Milkweed is a food plant for Monarch and Queen butterfly caterpillars.
Toxic / Danger: The sap is a skin irritant.
Origin: Southwestern United States and Mexico.
Cultivation and Uses
USDA hardiness zones: 9b-11. This vine is root hardy to at least 15°F (-9.4°C).
Heat tolerant: Yes, in part afternoon shade.
Drought tolerant: Dependent on root development and temperature.
Sun: This vine does best in part afternoon shade.
Soil: Well draining, dry, low in organic content, pH 6.6-8.5 (neutral to alkaline). This vine is very tolerant of poor soil.
Water after becoming established: Daily to weekly in the first year of the growing season. Every one or two weeks after the first year in the ground during the growing season.
Mulch: No.
Planting: This vine can be grown in a large container.
Prune: Cut back dead vines in winter. This plant tends to lose leaves and flowers at the bottom over the growing season and needs to be shortened to improve its appearance.
Litter: Leaves in winter, dried seed pods.
Propagation: Seed, cuttings taken in fall.
Pests: Aphids, Small Milkweed Bug.
Uses: Bee and butterfly garden.
USDA hardiness zones: 9b-11. This vine is root hardy to at least 15°F (-9.4°C).
Heat tolerant: Yes, in part afternoon shade.
Drought tolerant: Dependent on root development and temperature.
Sun: This vine does best in part afternoon shade.
Soil: Well draining, dry, low in organic content, pH 6.6-8.5 (neutral to alkaline). This vine is very tolerant of poor soil.
Water after becoming established: Daily to weekly in the first year of the growing season. Every one or two weeks after the first year in the ground during the growing season.
Mulch: No.
Planting: This vine can be grown in a large container.
Prune: Cut back dead vines in winter. This plant tends to lose leaves and flowers at the bottom over the growing season and needs to be shortened to improve its appearance.
Litter: Leaves in winter, dried seed pods.
Propagation: Seed, cuttings taken in fall.
Pests: Aphids, Small Milkweed Bug.
Uses: Bee and butterfly garden.
Comments
This tough, vigorous plant is a member of the Dogbane family (Apocynaceae). Sarcostemma cynanchoides is a synonym. Another common name is Fringed Twinevine.
This plant can form an extensive network of vines, climbing everything nearby. To minimize invasiveness, grow in a container and cut off the seed capsules before they mature. Invasiveness is rarely a problem in dry climates.
Do you have additional information or a different experience for these plants that you would like to share? Email info@GardenOracle.com. All contributions are welcome and appreciated.
This tough, vigorous plant is a member of the Dogbane family (Apocynaceae). Sarcostemma cynanchoides is a synonym. Another common name is Fringed Twinevine.
This plant can form an extensive network of vines, climbing everything nearby. To minimize invasiveness, grow in a container and cut off the seed capsules before they mature. Invasiveness is rarely a problem in dry climates.
Do you have additional information or a different experience for these plants that you would like to share? Email info@GardenOracle.com. All contributions are welcome and appreciated.
Latest update: July, 2024
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