General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Herb/Forb
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun
Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Preferences: Mesic
Soil pH Preferences: Slightly acid (6.1 – 6.5)
Neutral (6.6 – 7.3)
Slightly alkaline (7.4 – 7.8)
Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 9a -6.7 °C (20 °F) to -3.9 °C (25 °F)
Maximum recommended zone: Zone 11
Plant Height: 6 to 15 feet
Leaves: Evergreen
Flowers: Showy
Flower Color: Orange
Other: Deep reddish-orange to brick red
Bloom Size: 1"-2"
Flower Time: Spring
Late spring or early summer
Summer
Late summer or early fall
Other: Peak bloom time is spring and summer but blooms appear throughout the year
Underground structures: Taproot
Suitable Locations: Espalier
Uses: Groundcover
Wildlife Attractant: Bees
Butterflies
Hummingbirds
Resistances: Humidity tolerant
Toxicity: Other: All parts of plant are mildly toxic if ingested and the sap may cause contact dermatitis to those with sensitive skin
Propagation: Other methods: Cuttings: Stem
Containers: Suitable in 3 gallon or larger
Suitable for hanging baskets
Needs excellent drainage in pots
Miscellaneous: Tolerates poor soil

Image
Common names
  • Mexican Flame Vine
  • Orange Glow Vine
Botanical names
  • Accepted: Pseudogynoxys chenopodioides
  • Synonym: Senecio confusus
Also sold as:
  • São Paulo

Photo Gallery
Location: Lutz, FL
Date: 2014-05-11
My first flowers!
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: 2015-08-11

 Photo Courtesy of Select Seeds. Used with permission.
  • Uploaded by Joy
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: 2015-07-07
First time growing this beauty
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: 2015-07-25
Taken in the evening
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: 2015-05-27
Newly planted.
Location: Lutz, FL
Date: 2016-02-21
Blooming strong in February.
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: 2015-07-07
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: 2015-07-07
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: 2015-07-07
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: 2015-07-07
Location: My garden in Kentucky
Date: 2015-07-25
Taken in the evening

Photo courtesy of Select Seeds
  • Uploaded by Joy

Photo Courtesy of Select Seeds. Used with permission.
  • Uploaded by Joy
Comments:
  • Posted by mellielong (Lutz, Florida - Zone 9b) on May 11, 2014 3:10 PM concerning plant:
    I bought this plant late in summer when Select Seeds was having their big close-out sale. I wanted it because I had seen a Mexican Flame Vine at USF Botanical Gardens and it was a real butterfly magnet. I am a butterfly gardener and thought this would be perfect on a fence. I planted it late in the year but I made sure it got lots of water in the Florida heat so it could get established. But then, in the fall, I noticed it had disappeared. I figured I had killed it and I forgot about it. But late this winter, a mysterious vine started growing in the same place. It didn't look like any weed I recognized, so I thought maybe the Mexican Flame Vine had come back. Sure enough, it bloomed today and it has come back and is spreading rapidly up and down my fence! So a friendly heads-up that apparently this vine can go dormant for a while, but don't give up on it until you're sure it's not coming back.

    Update: This vine got really aggressive for me, so I pulled it out in April 2016. I have gone back twice now and dug up more pieces where it has come back from roots, and some that might have layered or self-seeded. If you plant this, make sure you have plenty of room for it to grow. Preferably not near anything else as it was smothering some of my other plants.

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