Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants

See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

rate this answer

Not Yet Rated

Monday - September 12, 2011

From: Orlando, FL
Region: Southeast
Topic: Propagation, Seeds and Seeding, Vines
Title: Seed planting of Crossvine from Orlando FL
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

Seed planting of Bignonia capreolata - Tangerine Beauty. I have seed pods. Do I plant how deep and should I put in a plastic bag with a wet papertowel in the refrigerator and let it sprout? Do I sow now in September and transplant to soil in March? I live in Orlando FL.

ANSWER:

From our Native Plant Database page on Bignonia capreolata (Crossvine):

"Propagation

Propagation Material: Root Cuttings , Seeds , Softwood Cuttings
Seed Collection: Collect the large, woody capsules from late summer through fall when they are light brown and beginning to dry. Seeds remain viable one year in sealed, refrigerated containers.
Seed Treatment: Seed requires no pretreatment.
Commercially Avail: yes
Maintenance: Training to avoid crowding of stems will aid in the formation of flower shoots. Branches can be cut back in the spring to encourage flowering."

We noticed that you referred to "Tangerine Beauty." This may just be a trade name assigned by the growers to make the plant more attractive to buyers. Some of the information we found referred to it as a cultivar, which hopefully means that it has been selected for the color. If it were a hybridized plant, the seeds would not breed true to the color; in fact, they still might not. Since it will probably be two to three seasons after planting seeds before blooms appear, you might find that, after the plant is well established, you are not getting the color blooms you expect. A sure-fire way to get the same color is to go the root or softwood cuttings route for propagation, which will produce clones of the original plant. From North Carolina State University here are instructions on Plant Propagation by Stem Cuttings (which includes softwood cuttings) as well as Plant Propagation by Leaf, Cane and Root Cuttings.

As you can see from the pictures below, there are several degrees of difference in the coloring of the primary plant.

From the Image Gallery

Crossvine
Bignonia capreolata