Thunbergia alata Bojer ex Sims

Herbaceous trailing or climbing vine. Stem subquadrate to ± flattened, pubescent with strigose trichomes. Petiole as long as leaf blade or shorter, 1.0-8.5 cm long, alate; blade sagittate, 2-13.5 x 0.9-8.5 mm, acute at apex, cordate-hastate at base and decurrent along petiole as a narrow wing, pubescent on both surfaces, margin entire to undulate or shallowly and irregularly, coarsely dentate; major venation palmate. Inflorescence solitary dichasia in leaf axils; peduncle 3-9 cm long, mostly longer than petioles, stigose pubescent; bracteoles lance-ovate to ovate, 11-25 x 4-15 mm, acute to acuminate at apex, rounded to truncate to cordate at base, pubescent like leaves. Calyx 2-4.5 mm long, 10-16-lobed, lobes subulate, unequal, pubescent; corolla yellow or orange (sometimes white) with a dark purple, glandular spot in throat, 25-40 mm long, externally sparsely and inconspicuously pubescent with glands, tube shorter or slightly longer than bracteoles, limb subregular, 20-43 mm in diam., lobes obovate to obdeltate, 7.5-15 x 6-22 mm, apically truncate; stamens didynamous, 7-9 mm long, anthers of longer pair with both thecae appendaged at base with a curved, awnlike appendage of 1-1.6 mm long, anthers of shorter pair with 1 theca appendaged at base, thecae 3-5 mm long, subequal to unequal in size, subparallel, pubescent with beaded papilla-like trichomes along line of dehiscence and at base; style 12 mm long, glabrous, stigma lobes ± funnelform, superposed, 1.5-2 mm long. Capsule 14-23 mm long, densely pubescent, body subglobose, 5-10 mm in diam., abruptly contracted into a stout, compressed beak 9-15 mm long; seeds 2, subspheric, 4-5 mm in diam., with a prominent, pore on flat side, covered with appressed, scalelike trichomes.

A tropical plant. It occurs naturally in tropical Africa. It needs a temperature above 7°C. It is damaged by drought and frost. It does best with a well-drained soil and a protected sunny position. In Papua New Guinea it grows from sea level to 1,000 m altitude. It can grow in arid places. In Argentina it rrows from sea level to 1,000 m above sea level. It suits hardiness zones 10-12. In Yunnan.

The leaves are cooked and eaten as a vegetable. Caution: The leaves can contain poisonous compounds. The seeds have been used as flavouring in relishes and chutneys.

It can be grown from seed or cuttings. The seed are sown 6 mm deep. The seedlings can be transplanted. Plants should be spaced 30 cm apart. It is grown as an annual plant in temperate climates.