snail vine

One of the members told me that the Snail Vine was very fragrant. Went shopping today and found a big vine. Hopefully, it will grow well where I am going to put it (if the dogs don't get it) I hear it dies back in the winter. Does it get seeds? If so, I will gladly share them with members when that happens!

There are 2 varieties that seem to interchange the names. The Vigna Caracalla "Corkscrew vine" is fragrant & is cream with purple edges:
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/1884/

and then the Phaseolus Caracalla "Snail Vine" which is solid purple & not fragrant.
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/53274/

I grow both & did not get any seeds the first year, but after that, lots of pods. They are both pollinated by ants, so if you want seeds, you must put up with them.
Mine do die back in the winter & return in the spring.

Well I guess I won't kill that fire ant hill then. LOL

Windy-
Fire ants cannot fit inside, to get the nectar, so they will tear/chew the flower open to get the nectar and ruin the pollination. The tiny little clear/brown "sugar" ants, or tiny little black ants, are best. They can fit inside the little spiral and not hurt the flower.
I cannot say ANYthing positive about the fire ants...

I always told Terminex to spray for bugs and ants on the majority of our property, but avoid my snail vine. I had both the little tiny ants and the fire ants on it. The fire ants bullied the small ants away and I caught them "red -handed" tearing the flowers. I looked and noticed many of the flowers were torn open.

I then instructed the pest company to be discriminant, and treat for fire ants, but not the tiny ants. (They think I'm crazy, but oh, well). Once I got the fire ants under control, the little ones moved back in. I stopped seeing the torn flowers, and started getting pods...

-T

I was just reading that the scent on the cream/purple one is a combination of jasmine/gardenia. It can't get much better than that! I must find the scented one!

Taylor,
well put. I had read that about the fireants but don't have them here thankfully, so had no first hand knowledge.
Plant_Fiend,
As for the smell, it is the best. I personally find nothing to be as wonderful. It is a perfect click for me.
I am starting another whole fence of them this spring, one is NOT enough!

PudgyMP, there is hope for my vigna that got frosted to the ground in our crazy winter then?
One word about the fragrance of the vigna, it's nice but not right up at the patio. It's almost overwhelming. One year I had a HUGE one in the greenhouse, it grew up into the rafters and covered half of one side. It must have had a hundred or more flowers, not good in a 14 X 36 greenhouse that is sealed for the winter!

The fragrance I don't care for is the White hyacinth bean. The purple one is nice, but the white flowered one, YUK! This is just my opinion, someone else may find it nice.

It comes in white? How bad does it smell?

The white hyacinth bean is an odd smell, I'll admit, but I don't mind it. I wouldn't say it is foul, but it certainly cannot be described as sweet, or citrusy, or even pleasant.
It is strong, and odd...that's about all I can come up with! lol...
-T

Sort of like the Devil's claw plant flower. It can gag you because, well sort of like puppy breath. LOL Nah not that bad, but just a heavy smell. I am glad to hear someone else doesn't care for the smell. I thought maybe it was just me. You know how some people put on a fragrance and it smells good and others wear the same thing and the body chemistry makes it smell off.
Mine did not flower as much either as the more hardy purple, but then again it might just be the soil requirements were different.
I think you can get a white hyacinth bean on the seed trading forum by asking for it, or sometimes seed stores on line have them. I recently saw it, maybe Johnnyseed, but not sure.
I don't have any or I would offer you some. I only grew it a couple years ago and the seed did not have time to mature.

I grew the white one this year and wasn't impressed with it at all. I didn't think the vine grew as well or was nearly as pretty as the purple one. Susie, I have a few seeds if you want them.

Email me because I don't always get back to all the threads I chat on.

This message was edited Jan 16, 2005 5:17 PM

Brugie, I think I'll pass. If it didn't do good for you it probably won't like it down here at all. I'll save my fence space for something that smells good!

Vigna caracalla is a z11 or z12. I have never heard of it being overwintered in the ground. But then I am not an expert either.

Mine have made it through 2 winters in the ground.

Hmmm, maybe I will try a heavy mulch. I would love to leave it in the ground over the winter. Thanks.

Here are pics of mine that I got last year. I grow it in a Rubbermaid storage container with a trellis to contain it. Lots of blooms, even more since I've been spraying with Messenger. I have checked the blooms and the sugar ants I move there last year are still there in the flowers but no seed pods as yet. It doesn't matter since the vines are easy enough to root.
Can't wait though for the vigna seedlings to grow up and bloom.
Jan...

http://www.PictureTrail.com/gid4990086

Jan-
Are you containing your snail vine, because you over winter it, or because you don't want it to eat your house? lol...

I am a zone 8, and my snail vine comes back bigger each year. This year it spread over half my house!(wish the corkscrew would!)
-T

Kinda both. I don't need to overwinter it per se but we do occasionally get a freeze warning and I want to be able to put it in the garage if needed.
I also do it to contain it from spreading too far and I grow a lot of vines, especially the Jap MG's and need the limited fence space I have for those.
It does really well in the container. I have to move it every now and then because the roots tend to grow out the drainage hole and take hold in the ground. I do plan on eventually removing my decaying wood fence with 6ft chain link and will relocate it to a permanent place then.

The corkscrew I got from you is doing really well and I will be moving it to a larger container along with some seedlings I started.
Jan...

Glad to hear the corkscrew didn't go into shock...they can do that, sometimes when mailed...

The snail will look fabulous, running rampant on a new chainlink fence! I'll bet you can't wait!
-T

Jan, your snail vine looks great. I am starting some seeds soon. Can't wait.