User:Featheredtar/Thunbergia grandiflora

Thunbergia alata, commonly called Black-eyed Susan vine, is a herbaceous perennial climbing plant species in the Acanthaceae family. It is native to Eastern Africa, and has been naturalized in other parts of the world. It is found in Cerrado vegetation of Brazil and Hawaii, along with eastern Australia and the southern USA in the states of Texas and Florida.

It is grown as an ornamental plant in gardens and in hanging baskets. The name 'Black-eyed Susan' is thought to have come from a character that figures in many traditional ballads and songs. In the Ballad of Black-eyed Susan by John Gay, Susan goes aboard a ship in-dock to ask the sailors, where her lover Sweet William has gone. Black-eyed Susan is also a name given to another species of flowers - Rudbeckia.



Description
Thunbergia alata has a vine habit, and can grow to a height of 6-8 ft (1.8-2.4 m) in tropical zones, or much less as a container plant or as an annual. It has twinning stems with heart or arrow-shaped leaves. It favours sun to partial shade. The flowers typically are warm orange with characteristic dark spot in the centre. However, different varieties can be red, orange, red-orange, white, pale yellow, or bright yellow, with or without the characteristic chocolate-purple centre which inspires the common name . Black-eyed Susans are also known for producing flowers as early as six weeks after germination.

Growth and care


Soft five-petal blooms appear in late Spring/early Summer, mid Summer and again in late Summer, early Autumn (Fall). The leaves are heart shaped dicotyledons and the plant is an evergreen perennial. The plant is self-propagating but propagation methods for gardeners include herbaceous stem cuttings, and from seed. In the northern hemisphere seed is sown indoors before last frost and direct sowing after the last frost of the season.

To collect seeds, seedheads are allowed to dry on plants before removal and seed collection.