Jeanette Atkinson

This close-up of Jacquemontia pentanthos shows its bright blue color and five-segment flower. Jacquemontia blooms are small, but profuse.

Jeanette Atkinson

Jacquemontia reclinata doesn’t have the vining capability of its kin, but offers bloom power in a dappled shade area of the garden.

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The delicate-looking, but sturdy vine Jacquemontia pentanthos is about as close to the perfect plant as it comes. Rufino Osorio, author of “A Gardener’s Guide to Florida’s Native Plants,” calls it ”one of the showiest flowering vines suitable for cultivation in south Florida.” Undemanding, and little troubled by pests, diseases or drought, it provides nonstop bloom from autumn through spring. And as icing on the cake, it is native to Collier County.

In full display by late October, and still going strong at the end of March, Jacquemontia — sometimes called “skyblue clustervine” — is a great choice for seasonal residents. It is spectacular trained on a trellis or pergola, great for covering an eyesore like an old stump, and will even function as a ground cover, since it stays flat quite happily as long as there is nothing to climb on.

It will clamber over adjacent shrubbery given time, but does not grow as rampantly as many other vines. Occasional moderate pruning is all that is required to keep it in bounds.

Like other vines, it may eventually accumulate a mass of dead-looking stems under new growth, so from time to time a more drastic cutting back may be necessary to rejuvenate an old top-heavy plant. Pruning is best done in late spring or early summer, after flowering has ceased. Heavy pruning in late summer could adversely affect fall bloom.

In the wild, Jacquemontia is a rare plant found in pinelands and hammocks. Though its range extends throughout the Caribbean, in Florida it has been documented officially only in Collier, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. Its status is endangered, but fortunately it is often available from native plant nurseries.

Be careful not to let the plant dry out before it establishes itself, but once it is growing vigorously it requires little care. It adapts well to most garden situations, but does not like soggy soil. It requires at least a half day of full sun for optimum bloom. As is the case with other blooming ornamentals, too much water and fertilizer will result in lush leaves and few flowers, so keep it on a fairly spartan diet. During the driest, warmest times, especially in windy periods, it may need a little irrigation.

A plant can produce hundreds of blooms a day. The small flowers, which are produced in clusters, are between a nickel and quarter in size and most commonly are a lovely, sky blue. However, lavender-pinkish forms and, more rarely, white-flowered forms occur as well. Like other members of the morning-glory family, Jacquemontia keeps its individual flowers only one day, and they close up in late afternoon.

Jacquemontia is also interesting in the garden because it attracts so many pollinators, especially small native bees and skippers, an intermediate form between butterflies and moths. Bees and wasps generally are not aggressive while gathering nectar and pollen. They should be respected, but not feared. Roger Hammer reports in his “Florida Keys Wildflowers” that several species of sphinx moths visit the flowers at night.

Beach clustervine, Jacquemontia reclinata, is another garden-worthy species in this genus. It has small round-to-ovoid leaves and delicate white flowers with pinkish-purplish throats. Development of its native habitat is threatening this rare plant — found only along Florida’s southeastern coast — with extinction. Efforts are being made to reintroduce it in public areas.

Jacquemontia reclinata does not twine or climb. Its woody main stem and leathery leaves make it look tougher than it is. In its natural habitat it usually grows in the shelter of a tree or shrub, and benefits from some shade in the garden. Full shade will reduce flowering. It does not like to dry out completely, and can perish if it is planted in a very dry area with no irrigation. It does not compete well with other plants, and is easily choked out by turf grasses.

Though it requires a bit more attention than its blue-flowered cousin, it is still an asset in the garden. It is also popular with native pollinators.

Both Jacquemontias can be propagated by either seeds or cuttings. Though the name is a mouthful, the virtues of both plants are such that it ought to become a household name for south Florida gardeners.

For more information on Jacquemontias, see:

• “Florida Keys Wildflower,” by Roger Hammer (Falcon; 2004)

• “The Shrubs and Woody Vines of Florida,” by Gil Nelson (Pineapple Press; 1996)

• “A Gardener’s Guide to Florida’s Native Plants,” by Rufino Osorio (University Press of Florida; 2001)

• “Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida,” by Richard Wunderlin (University Press of Florida; 1998)

Internet Sources:

• www.plantatlas.usf.edu ISB:Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants.

• www.fws.gov/verobeach/images/pdflibrary/jare.PDF: Beach Jacquemontia.

Where to buy:

• All Native Garden Center and Plant Nursery at Page Field (south Fort Myers), 300 Center Road, has Jacquemontia pentanthos in stock. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Contact: nolawn@earthlink.net; (239) 939-9663.

• Phil Tadman, Picayune Strand Flora, (239) 353-9935, carries Jacquemontia reclinata. Open by appointment only.