March12_2010

Botanical Glossary - Home - References Cited

Photos - San Agustin Etla in the Sate of Oaxaca, about 30 minutes north of Oaxaca City along Mexico Highway 190. This is a Solandra Maxima (Cup of gold) or sometimes called Chalice Vine that is wrapped up in a tall tree next to the main road into San Agustin. You can see here in these three photos the variation of color that can be seen on one vine. This vine is a heavy, thick stemmed tropical liana with large shiny leaves and large bell shaped golden yellow flowers. The thick and woody rope-like stems branch frequently and root at their nodes, and can run for more than 200 ft (61 m), clinging with aerial rootlets and scrambling over everything in the way. The evergreen leaves are leathery, about 6 in (15.2 cm) long and elliptic, with prominent lighter colored midribs and lateral veins. The flowers are truly spectacular, shaped like a chalice, 6-10 in (15.2-25.4 cm) long, flaring open to 4-7 in (10.2-17.8 cm) across.

The chalice vines are related to the angel trumpets (Datura spp. and Brugmansia spp.), and like them, have hallucinogenic properties. They are used in sacred ceremonies in Mexico.

Cup of gold is a fast growing vine that thrives in most any well-drained soil. It tolerates severe pruning and blooms on new growth, so it can be cut back at any time of year. This is a heavy vine, and it requires a very sturdy support.
Light: Cup of gold thrives in full sun to partial shade.
Moisture: Cup of gold grows best with regular watering, but blooms best when water is withheld. Let the vine grow for a while, producing vigorous new shoots, then withhold water until the leaves begin to wilt.

Cup of gold is often grown on large pergolas or trellises, or trained to grow up the side of a house where the spectacular flowers can spill down the walls over windows and doorways. Tolerant of salt spray and salty soils, all the chalice vines are excellent for seaside gardens. This is a large, rampant grower which requires plenty of space and a strong support.

Photos - Photos inside an unfinished house in San Agustin (frames left and right) and black spraypaint on a cement brick wall nearby. Graffiti here seems to be very crude, but much of it is probably gang related. This stuff is ugly and damaging to the properties, but there seems to be no bylaws that support the control or removal in an organized manner.

Photos - Frames left and right: The stuff I like is the brush painted signs professionally done by local artists. The one at the left is my favorite corner store about on village block, or five minutes walk from where I stayed in San Agustin. The Prisonerus sign at the right frame is in San Sebastian and advertises a February 18 Valentines day dance featuring a live band.

Center frame: The Crosty graffiti is on the side of a storage house in the back yard of a residence in San Agustin. Note the similarities between that icon and the graffiti icon inside the abandoned house (center row frame left) shown above. About a week after making this photo, the owner of the lot piled up bundled branches and corn husks to hide the graffiti.

Click here for more photos of San Agustin, Mexico for this day.