Lavender Orchid Vine.
Mascagnia lilacina, Barbados Cherry Family ( Malpighiaceae ), Lavender Orchid Vine. Also called: Blue Orchid Vine, Purple Mascagnia.

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Lavender Orchid Vine is an evergreen vine native to Durango, & Coahuila, Mexico.

The Native Plants Were Discovered At:

Durango, 5.1 mi S of El Refugio, 21 air mi SW Torreon, 12.3 mi from Mex. 40. E-facing steep mountain cliffs above Rio Nazas. Pass through E edge of Sierra del Rosario. 4,000 feet elevation.

Coahuila, Mpio. de Ramos Arizpe; Canada el Diente, Sierra de La Pa. 4,264 - 5,248 feet elevation.

Coahuila, ca. 35 (air) km. of Cuatro Cienegas, in lower limestone Canyon de La Hacienda on northside of Sierra da la Madera. 4,700 feet elevation.

Coahuila, Cuatroci�negas Municipio, Coahuila, Mexico; 29 (air) miles WNW of Cuatro Cienegas, N of Sierra de la Madera, ca 5 miles W of Rancho Cerro de la Madera in Ca�on Los Pozos. 4,920 feet elevation.

Coahuila, Rocky hill along road from EL Berrendo to Rancho San Pedro de Agua Dulce in the Puerto del Berrendo, 1.5 miles E El Berrendo. 4,002 feet elevation.

Mascagnia lilacina has twining stems bearing dark green, small oval leaves that are covered in fine hairs. The fine hairs that can cause skin irritation for some people.

Beginning in about May, Lavender Orchid Vine produces clusters of showy purple, orchid-like flowers, about 1 inch wide, the orchid shaped flowers are followed by papery, winged, chartreuse seed pods, that turn tan. A second flowering will sometimes occur in the fall.

Blue Orchid Vine will climb 15 to 20 feet up a trellis or fence, it will also twine upon itself, growing in a mound which can be a shrub or a groundcover.

Blue Orchid Vine is cold hardy to the mid-20's F.

This perennial vine is a great Xeriscape plant in Arizona. This plant is also attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds.

Quick Notes:

Height: Height to about 15 - 20 feet. Equal or greater spread. Usually about 15 feet by 15 feet. The vine will encompass about 15 square feet.

Flowers: Up to 1 inches across, papilionaceous, butterfly - like, and are borne in pendant clusters.

Flowering Time: May to September in Phoenix.

Seed Pods: A papery, winged, chartreuse seed pods, that turn tan.

Leaves: Dark green, glossy, small oval leaves that are covered in fine hairs

Found: Native to Coahuila, Mexico.

Hardiness:
USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 �C (25 �F)
USDA Zone 10a: to -1.1 �C (30 �F)
USDA Zone 10b: to 1.7 �C (35 �F)
USDA Zone 11: above 4.5 �C (40 �F)

Soil pH requirements:
6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic)
6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)
7.6 to 7.8 (mildly alkaline)

Sun Exposure:
Full Sun
Some Shade

Elevation: 0 to 2,900 feet In Arizona.

Habitat: Sandy, loamy, gravely, desert soils, ls long as they have good drainage.

Miscellaneous: Flowering Photos Taken At Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, Arizona On March 3, 2008. An ideal xeriscape landscape plant in Arizona.