Allamanda cathartica

Common name: Jasmine from Cuba, yellow trumpet

Description:

Cuban Jasmine ( Allamanda cathartica ) is a shrub belonging to the Apocynaceae Family. It is a shrub that can reach 2 or 3 meters in height. Sometimes it can act as a climber, generating large branches that become entangled in fences or other structures.

Its leaves, up to 15 cm long, are whorled and oblanceolate and can be 5 cm wide. This species generates a yellow inflorescence and a tubular or bell-shaped corolla with ovate, foliaceous sepals that can be 5–10 mm long. It blooms during the summer and produces an ellipsoid fruit of up to 7 cm with flat seeds of a dark color.

One of its characteristics is that all parts of the plant contain a white latex rich in a multitude of active components such as esterified triterpenes, plumericin, isoplumericin, among others.

Culture:

Originally from South America, it has been naturalized and widely cultivated in other areas of the world. It is a very vigorous plant that is easy to grow.

It is a plant that grows in full sun, influencing flowering. The more sun and better conditions, the more grateful the flowering will be, which in summer will be spectacular.

It grows in deep, drained soils with a high presence of organic matter, so we will make contributions of composting fertilizers when we plant it and, later, annually we will make 1 or 2 applications in spring and/or autumn.

Irrigation should be regular, but avoiding puddles. During the summer we will have to increase the frequency depending on the dryness of the substrate. We must always guarantee adequate drainage to prevent the roots from rotting. It is necessary to irrigate with water that is not limestone, so in areas close to the Mediterranean basin we must irrigate with water without lime, being able to use rainwater.

It does not tolerate frost, so we will have to plant it in protected areas. At a professional level it is usually grown in a greenhouse. The branches are very vigorous but fragile, so it is often necessary to support them so that they grow properly without risk of breakage.

Multiplication:

It can be propagated by spring germination of seeds, or by cutting of apical buds or layering.

Applications:

ornamental use. It also has an industrial use for latex and other elements generated by this species. Its flowering is spectacular, and it can function as a climbing plant, as a hedge or as an isolated specimen.