Thunbergia alata – Blackeyed Susan Vine

Thunbergia alata - Blackeyed Susan Vine, Black-eyed Susan Vine

Thunbergia alata - Blackeyed Susan Vine, Black-eyed Susan Vine (leaves)

Plant Name

Scientific Name: Thunbergia alata

Common Names: Blackeyed Susan Vine, Black-eyed Susan Vine

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial

Growth Habit: Vine, Herb/Forb

Hawaii Native Status: Introduced. This naturalized garden plant is native to southern and eastern Africa.

Flower Color: Orange, Yellow, White, Salmon pink (cultivated)

Height: Climbing to 8 feet (2.4 m) tall

Description: The broadly tubular flowers have 5 lobes and a distinctive black center "eye". The leaves are green, covered in fuzzy hair, simple, opposite, heart-shaped or arrowhead-shaped, and sometimes coarsely toothed. The stems are hairy and twining.

Classification

Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Asteridae
Order: Scrophulariales
Family: Acanthaceae – Acanthus family
Genus: Thunbergia Retz. – thunbergia
Species: Thunbergia alata Bojer ex Sims – blackeyed Susan vine

More About This Plant

Hawaii County Distribution Map