Spectacular Jade Vine

This post was written by Marlene Affeld on May 2, 2009
Posted Under: Beauty of Nature

Tanya, a lovely, gentle lady, offered to show me some of her favorite places on the island. Tanya has lived here for over twenty years, so I was delighted that she was so kind to share her knowledge of Kauai, its rich culture and history. Our first stop was breath-taking. This incredible grove of trees with entwined with huge vines of rare red jade. Located at the entrance to Alexander Plant Nursery in Kapaa, the cathedral-like grove has been used for wedding ceremonies.

The Red Jade Vine (Mucana Bennettii) is a glorious plant, that finds a home in many of the gardens of Hawaii. The Red Jade Vine, native to New Guinea, thrives in rain forests and flourishes on the Garden Island of Kauai. The fast growing woody vine produces orange-red flowers that are three to four inches long and gracefully curved. Each stalk can have as many as a hundred flowers. 

The Red Jade Vine is spectacular! Their beauty adds grace and elegance to any garden setting. However, as beautiful as they are they are not used for leis as the flower has rough bristles or spines that will irritate the skin. 

A distant cousin, The Blue Jade Vine (also known as Green Jade) is a dramatic vine, native to the Philippines. Blue Jade has a thick woody trunk, which branches out with leaves that are a waxy light and delicate green. 

 

 

The Blue Jade Vine (also called a Green Jade Vine) is a dramatic vine, native to the Philippines. The vine itself has a thick woody trunk, which branches out with elegant arching leaves that are a waxy light green. In the rain-forest ecosystem of Kauai, a vine left untrimmed can quickly reach lengths of up to 75 feet.

 

The flowers of the Blue Jade are extremely vivid. Dropping down from the vine itself, is a stalk of flowers that reach over 5 feet in length and can have 50 to 100 flowers. Each flower is 2 to 4 inches, curved and delicate. The flowers are a stunning blue-green and are often used in Leis. Their color is outstanding. 

Blue Jade was brought into the islands as a decorative plant. Because it is a vine, it can take over if not constantly pruned. However there is no indication of Blue Jade becoming invasive.