| Devil’s-potato, Rubbervine
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| Echites umbellatus
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| Apocynaceae
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Landscape Uses:
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Vine on trellises and fences. Wildflower and rock gardens. |
Ecological Restoration Notes: |
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Relatively common in pine rocklands and coastal uplands along the east coast. |
| Availability: |
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Grown by enthusiasts. |
| Description: |
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Clambering or climbing vine. |
| Height: |
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N/A; a vine with stems 5 feet or more in length. |
| Growth Rate: |
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Moderate to fast. |
| Range: |
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Monroe County north along the east coast to Brevard County; West Indies, southern Mexico and northern Central America. |
| Habitats: |
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Pine rocklands, hammock edges and coastal thickets. |
| Soils: |
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Moist, well-drained limestone or sandy soils, with or without humusy top layer. |
| Nutritional Requirements: |
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Moderate to low; it prefers soils with organic content, but will still grow reasonably well in nutrient poor soils. |
| Salt Water Tolerance: |
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Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water. |
| Salt Wind Tolerance: |
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High; can tolerate moderate amounts of salt wind without significant injury. |
| Drought Tolerance: |
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High; does not require any supplemental water once established. |
| Light Requirements: |
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Full sun. |
| Flower Color: |
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White. |
| Flower Characteristics: |
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Showy. |
| Flowering Season: |
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All year; peak in summer. |
| Fruit: |
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Paired slender pods that open on one side, 6-8" long. Dispersal is by wind. |
| Wildlife and Ecology: |
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Larval host for native moths, including the oleander moth (or polka dot wasp moth; Syntomeida epilais), tetrio sphinx moth (Pseudosphinx tetrio), and Uncle Sam moth (or faithful beauty; Composia fidelissima). For an excellent article by George Rogers on devil’s-potato as a host for moths, visit the Treasure Coast Natives blog. |
| Horticultural Notes: |
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Can be grown from seeds. For excellent and detailed information on Devil’s-potato propagation, see Fairchild Tropical Garden's Connect To Protect fact sheet.
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| Comments: |
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An attractive vining wildflower. See a 2018 post on the Treasure Coast Natives blog on Devil’s-Potato and Its Mimectic Moths. |
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George D. Gann in habitat, Everglades National Park, 2012
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George D. Gann in habitat, Everglades National Park, 2012
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