Black-eyed Susan Vine
Sources last read 13 September 2026.
Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.
Also called black-eyed clock vine, blackeyed Susan vine, bright eyes and Thunbergia.
Toxicity is partly unassessed
- Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for people. RHS publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
What the sources say about its care
- Light
- Full sunRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Water
- Moist but well-drained or Well-drainedRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Humidity
No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.
ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026- Temperature
How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.
H2 — 1–5°C 1–5 °CRHS · read 13 September 2026- Soil
- Chalk, Clay, Loam; pH Acid or Alkaline or NeutralRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Harmful to people
- No statement of harm to people is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.RHS · read 13 September 2026
Routine care
- Propagation
- Seed, stem cuttingsNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Sow seed, or for plants under glass, take semi-ripe cuttings during late summer.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- Outdoors, pruning is not needed. Under glass, follow pruning group 11.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Aphids can be troublesome; under glass, scale insects, glasshouse whitefly, glasshouse red spider mite and other pests can be too. Disease risk: powdery mildews.RHS · read 13 September 2026
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About the plant
Thunbergia alata, commonly called black-eyed Susan vine, is a herbaceous perennial climbing plant species in the family Acanthaceae. It is native to Eastern Africa, and has been naturalized in other parts of the world.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- Trop. & S. Africa, MadagascarWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Tropical & S. Africa, MadagascarNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Tropical AfricaRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- seasonally dry tropicalWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- climbing shrubWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Annual, Ground Cover, Vine; habit cascading, climbing, spreadingNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Climbing (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 36–96 in; width 36–72 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height 1.5-2.5 metres; spread 0.5-1 metres after 1–2 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers gold/yellow, orange; blooms in fall, springNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Flowers orange in summer and autumn; yellow in summer and autumnRHS · read 13 September 2026
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Sources
- ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Wikipedia · read 13 September 2026
What this does not cover
The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.
Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.
If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.