Allamanda cathartica (Golden Trumpet Shrub)

Allamanda cathartica, Allamanda nerifolia, Golden Trumpet Shrub

Botanical names: Allamanda cathartica, Allamanda nerifolia

Common name: Golden Trumpet Shrub

Origin: Tropical America

Very attractive ever-blooming shrub with bright yellow trumpet-like flowers. Night-scented flowers year-round. Prickly seed pods follow the flowers with winged seeds that fly about when the pod dries and breaks open. Allamanda is perennial in tropical climates and may be treated as an annual or brought inside during cold weather and replanted after danger of frost. The plant has milky sap and is considered poisonous; all parts are highly cathartic (hence the botanical name). Grows well in most soils, but becomes chlorotic in very alkaline conditions. In areas where there is seasonal change, keep fairly dry during winter and prune in spring before growth begins. It may be desirable to prune annually in any case to control for size.