Name That Plant IX ANSWER: Dwarf Allamanda
August 11, 2010
Dwarf allamanda, Allamanda schottii ‘Compacta’
This cultivar is made to withstand our tough Florida summers and look great doing it! The dwarf alamanda should produce bright yellow blooms all summer and into the fall. You may be familiar with the allamanda vine, A. cathartica, which produces similar flowers. Unlike the vine, this cultivar should grow into a small shrub, about four to five feet in height. It blooms best in full sun but will take light shade and may require some watering during the summer.
Like all allamandas, this dwarf variety contains a milky sap called latex, which can be an irritant to some people. This latex is used to make natural rubber and the allamanda vine was one of hundreds of species Thomas Edison experimented with in his quest for an American source of rubber.
Not a single fan took a guess at naming this mystery plant, so no winner this week. Stop by the Estates Garden Shoppe to pick up a dwarf alamanda and peruse the other flowering plants available.
