Growing Cup Of Gold In My Garden

Cup of Gold? I will be rich! Too bad it is not the real gold but its the Cup of Gold vine that is growing in my garden.

I received some stem cuttings of this plant from a friend. I took them back home and stick them into an empty pot with some garden soil. I then placed the pot under some shade and watered it daily.

Very soon new leaves began to grow.

Then new branches began to grow.

I moved the pot from the shade to full exposure of sunlight.

 The branches started to grow tall and I have to cut it back.

I do not have a trellis or proper place for this vine so I tried to keep it short.

 By keeping it short, I was worried it might not be able to flower.

One morning I noticed something different on my plant.

I saw this cute thing growing on one branch.

Is this a flower?

Then it grew to be like this! Its a flower!

Common names: Cup of Gold, Gold Cup Vine, Chalice Vine or Golden Chalice Vine. Scientific name: Solandra maxima.

It is a Mexican evergreen plant. It is fast growing vine. It has thick and woody stems with glossy, leathery green leaves.

 It thrives in moist garden soil with good water drainage. It can tolerates full sun to partial sun. It needs regular watering and fertilizing.

Propagation is through stem cuttings. It blooms all year round.

 It can tolerate pruning to encourage new branches to grow for more flowers to bloom.

This bloom is going to open up any time now! 

A fully opened flower greeted me the next morning.

The flowers open at night.

The flower is a single large cup funnel-shaped flower with purple or brown ridges in the throat. The flower is about 10 inches long x 4 inches wide.

It has 5 long stamens and 1 long style.

When the spent flower dropped off, it left behind the long style.

Roots will grow at the nodes on the stems. It is very easy to root.

So, this was the culprit that fed on the leaves!

Caution:

All parts of the plant including the flower is poisonous. The sap or the juice from the cut part of plant may cause skin irritation. If any part of the plant is ingested, symptoms of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, dilated pupils, fever and etc.

Immediately seek medical help!

They make promises they don't intend to keep.

Therefore punishment will spring up among them
like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field.
(Hosea 10:4, TLB)