Family: Acanthaceae

An evergreen, twining vine with red and yellow pendulous flowers. A prolific bloomer, flowers are present all year long. As with most vines, clock vine requires a lot of space. (Always have caution when growing vines in the jungle, even if they are pono)

Propagation by cuttings as clock vine doesn’t produce seeds in Hawai’i. Songbirds pollinate clock vine in its native land of Southern India. On the mainland USA, hummingbirds are the pollinator.

Plant Uses:

• Cut flower
• Ornamental

Plant Dangers:

• No dangers

High Risk Traits:

• Suited to tropical/subtropical climates (USDA zones 10–11)
  
• Native to India and widely cultivated as an ornamental outside its range
  
• Congeneric (T. alata) is invasive in Australia
  
• Woody climbing vine with smothering growth habit
  
• Intentionally dispersed by people
  
• Produces viable seed; can propagate by cuttings and layering
  
• Subspontaneous in secondary vegetation (Mascarene Islands)

Low Risk Traits:

• No evidence of naturalization, or weed status
  
• No spines, toxins, allelopathy, or parasitism
  
• No shade tolerance; prefers full sun to part shade
  
• Narrow soil preference (fertile, well-drained)
  
• Low seed output (4 seeds per capsule)
  
• No evidence of herbicide tolerance or benefit from mutilation