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Accession Data:

Podranea ricasoliana (Tanfani) T. Sprague

  • Common Name: Port St. Johns Creeper
  • Family: Bignoniaceae Juss.
  • Synonym(s): Pandorea ricasoliana (Tanfani) K.Schum. , Tecoma ricasoliana Tanfani

  • Country of Origin: S. Trop. & S. Africa

  • Description: This evergreen member of the Bignonia family (Bignoniaceae) can grow to 16-20 feet tall and can spread equally as wide. Although often listed as very tender, this vine can tolerate winter temperatures in the low 20 degrees F with just tip damage. Plant in full sun and water occasionally to infrequently during the warmer months of the year. In mild California coastal gardens this beautiful vine will bloom for much of the year. Good also as a groungcover sprawling over rocks, even tolerating coastal sea spray. The name podranea is an anagram of the name for the closely related Australian plant Pandorea.

    Propagate from cuttings in summer or from seed in spring.

  • Culture: The secret is to grow them in a pot with low nitrogen levels and feed with tomato fertiliser. The vine throws incredibly long flower bearing stems to 10ft or more which should be trained and pruned annually to create a woody framework.6
  • USDA Zone: 9-11

Accession Data:

  • Accession # 198500395
  • Source: Unknown
  • Recorded Vouchers:
    1. Voucher 158838 at George Safford Torrey Herbarium (CONN). Specimen collected 30 March 1982. Herbarium Image
    2. Voucher 129359 at George Safford Torrey Herbarium (CONN). Specimen collected 31 March 2005. Herbarium Image
  • Accession Date: 12-31-1985
  • Bench: 1115 - AFR:East Bench SS
    • Currently: active - healthy
    • Qty: 2 confirmed on 03-24-2025

Classification:

  • Division: Magnoliophyta
  • Class: Magnoliopsida
  • SubClass: euasterid I
  • Order: Lamiales
  • SubOrder:
  • Family: Bignoniaceae
  • SubFamily:
  • Tribe: Tecomeae
  • SubTribe:

Flowering Data:

This accession has been observed in bloom on:
YearJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004

References (internal):

  • EEB 3271 - Systematic Botany
  • Plants with Vouchers deposited in CONN
  • EEB Greenhouse Holdings native to: Malawi / Mozambique / Zambia / Cape Provinces / KwaZulu-Natal /

References (external):

  1. The Plant List (2013). Version 1.1. Accessed 9 June 2015.
  2. WCSP (2015). World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Accessed 9 June 2015.
  3. Podranea ricasoliana at PlantzAfrica. Accessed 9 June 2015.
  4. San Marcos Growers Website
  5. Botanica, Turner & Wasson, 1997, CD-ROM Version
  6. Info from www.plantsman.com catalogue (defunct). Last accessed 31 December 2002.
  7. Images #00 (cropped) & #02 (original) by Xue Davis (Own work). Used with permission. Last accessed on Wednesday, October 10, 2018.

data regenerated on Mon, 24 Mar 2025 08:21:02 -0400 [bcm v4.0]

Images:

Podranea ricasoliana

Additional images for this accession:

Click on thumbnails to enlarge

Current Accessions in the Bignoniaceae

Subfamily
Tribe Bignonieae

  • Adenocalymma comosum
  • Bignonia magnifica
  • Clytostoma callistegioides
  • Dolichandra unguis-cati
  • Pyrostegia venusta

Subfamily
Tribe Coleeae

  • Phyllarthron bernierianum W/C

Subfamily
Tribe Crescentieae

  • Crescentia cujete

Subfamily
Tribe Tecomeae

  • Pandorea jasminoides
  • Podranea ricasoliana
  • Spathodea campanulata
  • Tecoma capensis
  • Tecoma stans
  • Tecomanthe dendrophila
W/C = Wild Collected
= indicates flowering in past 14 days
= images available for this accession
= map available for this accession
= accession added within past 90 days
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