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In the Gardens

Gold Cup, Chalice Vine

Solandra maxima

Bloom time

All year round, except sum-mer.

Characteristics

The woody climber plant reaches up to 12 m (13 yd.) tall. The leathery leaves are elliptical and short-ta-pered. A very conspicuous feature are the yellow, fun-nel-shaped flowers. The calyx is curved outwards to form a broad, five-lobed hem. A purple-brown ridge runs into the centre of the funnel.

Site:

As it grows very tall in a short time, the plant is mostly cultivated in larger gardens and parks. On Madeira you will often see it in the south, up to an altitude of 350 m (385 yd.). There are for example several specimens to be found in Funchal in the park of the Quinta Vigia (198) or in the Botanical Garden (190).

Interesting to know:

The Gold Cup is native to the American tropics. The still closed buds contain water that is used there by traditional medicine to treat conjunc-tivitis. However, the plant itself is poisonous. The Indians used it for the production of intox-icating drugs. In nature, Gold Cup is pollinated by bats. Thus the blossoms open in the evening - and that fast that you can watch them de-veloping. Another typical characteristic for flowers that attract bats is the mawkish scent that is much more intense during night hours.

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