Family: DILLENIACEAE
This plant is looking brilliant, on the fence at Peacehaven Botanic Park just now.
Snake vine is a plant which grows naturally along Australia’s Eastern coastal strip, extending to the eastern edge of our district where it grows in rainforests on the great Dividing Range, (as at Goomburra). It is likely to have once been native to the Toowoomba area, though we will never know for certain because our local rainforests were thoroughly cleared, early in the period of white settlement.
The inland form of the plant is less hairy than the coastal form. Its dark, shiny green leaves provide a good background for the bright yellow flowers.
We can expect this month's flowers to produce red, bird-attracting seeds around March.
Snake vine can be a bulky plant, with many scrambling, 3m stems which can’t decide whether to twine clockwise or the other way about. It is fast-growing, and makes a quick cover for a trellis or fence. It can also be allowed to ramble among trees and shrubs, though there is a risk that it might smother the smaller plants.
In full sun it is naturally dense, but if grown in the shade it might need pruning to keep it within bounds and improve its density and screening capacity.
It is fairly drought hardy, but survives only light frost.
Just a reminder: you can find out more about Peacehaven at
http://friendsofpeacehaven.blogspot.com
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