''Matelea floridana'' (also called Florida Milkvine or Florida Spiny Pod) is a flowering plant within the Milkweed Subfamily (Family ''Apocynaceae;'' Subfamily ''Asclepiadoideae''). It is endemic to Florida and two counties in Georgia, and is listed as Endangered. It is a perennial

dicot The dicotyledons, also known as dicots (or, more rarely, dicotyls), are one of the two groups into which all the flowering plants (angiosperms) were formerly divided. The name refers to one of the typical characteristics of the group: namely, t ...

. Flowers are purplish black, 1–2 cm in diameter, borne on short pedicels that occur at mature nodes along the stem, from one to many flowers. Leaf pairs are opposite, cordate from 5–10 cm in length, lightly pubescent. This species is very similar in appearance to '' Matelea carolinensis'', but the distribution of the two species do not overlap.

Cultivation

This species germinates around 30–60 days without stratification of any kind. It is slow to grow, but after around 60 days, the plant can then be trained to climb. This species is thigmotropic, so it is imperative to allow it to climb. Once plant has established upon a vertical face, flowers may begin to form at nearly every node. Flowers smell like rotting fruit.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15364502 floridana