Cryptostegia grandiflora - Rubber Vine Seeds

Description

A woody vine that can grow as a small shrub or, if support from larger trees is available, as a rampant climber that can grow an amazing 5 m (16 ft.) in a single month and to 30 m tall. Originally native to Madagascar, it has now naturalized in many other tropical countries and is considered a noxious weed in Australia. In other places in the tropics it is still popular as an ornamental for its pretty flowers and its commercial grade latex. In the tropics it should perhaps best be avoided due to its invasive potential and its toxicity to livestock, but in mediterranean and desert climates where there is little chance of it escaping, it makes a great ornamental.