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Bengal Clock Vine Wikimedia Commons
Acanthaceae

Bengal Clock Vine

Thunbergia grandiflora

Tropical patience and time made visible.

Family
Acanthaceae
Genus
Thunbergia
Native to
India, Bangladesh, Indochina
Bloom season
Summer, Fall
Type
evergreen woody vine
Height
6–10 m
Sunlight
full sun to part shade
Soil
fertile, well-drained
Water
medium
Hardiness
9–11
Lifespan
long-lived perennial

Did you know

  • Its cascading blue trumpet flowers can blanket a fence so completely the leaves disappear.
  • Each flower has five overlapping petal lobes resembling a wide-open clock face — hence the common name.
  • Charles Darwin studied related Thunbergia vines for his work on the movements of climbing plants.
  • It is invasive in northern Australia and Hawaii, where it can swallow whole rainforest canopies.
  • Unlike its smaller cousin black-eyed Susan vine, this is a long-lived woody perennial in the tropics.

Color meanings

Blue

calm reverie

Lavender

tropical romance

White

clear-headed peace

Uses

  • tropical screening vines
  • trellises and pergolas
  • ornamental walls