Wild-allamanda, Hammock viperstail
Pentalinon luteum
Apocynaceae


Landscape Uses:

Accent vine.

Ecological Restoration Notes:

Availability:
Native plant nurseries. Available in Lake Worth at Amelia's SmartyPlants (561-540-6296).
Description:
Clambering or twining woody vine with glossy leaves and attractive yellow flowers.
Height:
N/A; vine with stems to 10 feet or more in length.
Growth Rate:
Moderate.
Range:
Monroe County Keys north to St. Lucie and Lee counties; the West Indies and the Bay Islands of Honduras.
Habitats:
Pinelands, hammocks and coastal thickets.
Soils:
Moist, well-drained to moderately well-drained sandy, limestone, or organic soils, with or without humusy top layer.
Nutritional Requirements:
Low; it grows in nutrient poor soils.
Salt Water Tolerance:
Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance:
High; can tolerate moderate amounts of salt wind without significant injury.
Drought Tolerance:
High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements:
Full sun.
Flower Color:
Yellow.
Flower Characteristics:
Showy, about 2" wide.
Flowering Season:
All year; peak spring-summer.
Fruit:
Two-parted pod of elongated, slender incurved follicles.
Wildlife and Ecology:
Larval host plant for polka-dot wasp moths (Syntomeida epilais).
Horticultural Notes:
Comments:
An attractive twining vine with glossy leaves. The sap is poisonous if ingested, is irritating to the eyes and can cause a skin rash.


Roger L. Hammer
Shirley Denton
Shirley Denton
Jay Horn via iNaturalist
Jay Horn via iNaturalist
Jay Horn via iNaturalist