Details Top

Internal ID UUID643ff963d7c98944484298
Scientific name Thunbergia alata
Authority Bojer ex Sims
First published in Bot. Mag. 52: t. 2591 (1825)

Ethnobotanical Use Top

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General Uses Top

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Common products:
Thunbergia alata is sold primarily as a live ornamental vine for garden and indoor use. Commercial producers offer rooted cuttings, seedlings, and young plants in various container sizes, ranging from small pots for windowsill cultivation to larger hanging baskets for trellis or pergola display. Seedlings are supplied to the ornamental horticulture market under both scientific and common names, and cultivars selected for flower colour or growth habit may be marketed under distinct trade designations. Seeds are also packaged for home gardeners and are available from seed suppliers. Seedlings are also sold in trays to nurseries for further propagation. Some growers produce specialized cultivars for specific colour combinations, which are offered under specific trade names.

Properties relevant to use:
The species is a fast‑growing, twining annual or short‑lived perennial reaching 2–5 m in length under favorable conditions. Its flexible stems enable easy training on supports, while the plant’s tolerance of warm temperatures and relatively low water requirements suit containers and outdoor beds in temperate and subtropical climates. Flowers open sequentially over an extended season, providing sustained ornamental value. The plant propagates readily by seed or vegetative cuttings, facilitating rapid scaling of commercial production without reliance on wild‑collected material. The twining habit of the vine allows it to climb supports without additional training, facilitating its use in vertical garden designs.

Standards and regulation:
Live plants of Thunbergia alata are subject to national phytosanitary regulations for the import and movement of ornamental species. In the European Union, the plant must comply with the Plant Health Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 and associated phytosanitary certificates to prevent introduction of quarantine pests. Similar phytosanitary certification requirements apply in the United States under the USDA‑APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine program and in other major horticultural trading regions.

Sustainability and sourcing:
Commercial propagation is predominantly carried out in greenhouse and nursery facilities using seed or cutting production lines, thereby minimizing pressure on wild populations. The species is widely cultivated and not considered threatened in horticultural trade. Sustainable production practices include recycling of propagation media, integrated pest management, and adherence to regional certification schemes (e.g., GlobalG.A.P.) that promote environmental stewardship in ornamental horticulture.

Synonyms Top

Scientific name Authority First published in
Thunbergia oculata S.Moore J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 38: 269 (1908)
Thunbergia kamatembica Mildbr. Bull. Jard. Bot. État Bruxelles 17: 84 (1943)
Thunbergia nymphaeifolia Lindau Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 33: 184 (1902)
Thunbergia manganjensis Lindau Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 17: 92 (1893)
Thunbergia fuscata T.Anderson ex Lindau Beibl. Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 41: 40 (1893)
Thunbergia doddsii Paxton Paxton's Mag. Bot. 15: t. 221 (1849)
Thunbergia delamerei S.Moore J. Bot. 38: 205 (1900)
Thunbergia aurantiaca Paxton Paxton's Mag. Bot. 6: 269 (1839)
Thunbergia albiflora Gord. Gard. Chron. 1845: 169 (1845)
Valentiana volubilis Raf. Specch. i. 87 (1814).
Endomelas alata Raf. Fl. Tellur. 4: 67 (1838)
Thunbergia bikimaensis De Wild. Pl. Bequaert. 1: 446 (1922)
Thunbergia fryeri E.Vilm. Fl. Pleine Terre : 876 (1863)
Thunbergia backeri E.Vilm. Fl. Pleine Terre , ed. 2: 919 (1866)
Thunbergia alata var. vixalata Burkill Fl. Trop. Afr. 5: 16 (1899)
Thunbergia alata var. retinervia Burkill Fl. Trop. Afr. 5: 17 (1899)
Thunbergia alata var. albiflora Hook. Bot. Mag. 63: t. 3512 (1836)
Thunbergia alata var. alba Paxton Paxton's Mag. Bot. 3: 28 (1837)
Thunbergia alata var. minor S.Moore J. Bot. 39: 300 (1901)
Thunbergia alata var. velutina Bremek. Verh. Kon. Ned. Akad. Wetensch., Afd. Natuurk., Sect. 2 , 45(2): 8 (1948)
Thunbergia bakeri Bosse Vollst. Handb. Bl.-Gärtn. , ed. 2, 3: 489 (1842)
Thunbergia leucantha Van Houtte Hort. Belge 3: 249 (1836)

Common names Top

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Language Common/alternative name
English blackeyed susan vine
English black-eyed susan vine
Spanish thunbergia manganjensis
Spanish thunbergia albiflora
Spanish thunbergia aurantiaca
Spanish endomelas alata
Spanish thunbergia fryeri
Spanish ojo de venus
Spanish thunbergia doddsii
Spanish ojo de poeta
Spanish ojitos negros
Spanish thunbergia backeri
Spanish susanita, tunbergia, susana de los ojos negros, ojo de poeta, ojo morado,anteojo de poeta, ojitos, ojitos negros, ojo de venus, ojo de pajarito
Spanish susana de ojos negros
Afrikaans swartoognooi
Arabic تونبرغية جناحية
Bengali কাজল আঁখি
Bengali হুতুম-মণি লতা
Czech thunbergie křídlatá
German schwarzäugige susanne
Finnish mustasilmäsusanna
Irish súsan dhúshúileach
Croatian crnooka suzana
Upper Sorbian Žołta tunbergija
Hungarian szárnyas feketeszem
Japanese ヤハズカズラ
Malayalam കരിങ്കണ്ണി
Dutch suzanne-met-de-mooie-ogen
Dutch suzanne met de mooie ogen
Polish tunbergia oskrzydlona
Portuguese susana dos olhos negros
Portuguese susana-dos-olhos-negros
Portuguese olho-preto
Portuguese olho-de-poeta
Portuguese olho preto
Portuguese jasmim-sombra
Portuguese jasmim da itália
Portuguese erva-cabrita
Portuguese erva de cabrita
Portuguese erva cabrita
Portuguese bunda-de-mulata
Portuguese bunda-de-negro
Portuguese carólia
Portuguese cu-de-cachorro
Russian Тунбергия крылатая
Kinyarwanda urusayura
Slovak tunbergia krídlatá
Swedish svartöga
Tamil துன்பேர்சியா அலாடா
Chinese 翼叶山牵牛
Chinese 黑眼花
Chinese 翼柄山牵牛
Chinese 翼葉山牽牛
Chinese 山牵牛

Subspecies (abbr. subsp./ssp.) Top

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Varieties (abbr. var.) Top

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Subvarieties (abbr. subvar.) Top

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Forms (abbr. f.) Top

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Germination/Propagation Top

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Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top

Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
  • Africa
    • East Tropical Africa
      • Kenya
      • Tanzania
      • Uganda
    • Northeast Tropical Africa
      • Djibouti
      • Eritrea
      • Ethiopia
      • Somalia
      • Sudan
    • South Tropical Africa
      • Malawi
      • Mozambique
      • Zambia
      • Zimbabwe
    • Southern Africa
      • Botswana
      • Kwazulu-Natal
      • Northern Provinces
      • Swaziland
    • West Tropical Africa
      • Ghana
      • Guinea
      • Ivory Coast
      • Liberia
      • Nigeria
      • Sierra Leone
    • West-central Tropical Africa
      • Burundi
      • Cameroon
      • Central African Republic
      • Congo
      • Rwanda
      • Zaïre
    • Western Indian Ocean
      • Comoros
      • Madagascar
      • Mauritius
      • Réunion
      • Seychelles
  • Asia-temperate
    • China
      • China South-central
      • China Southeast
    • Eastern Asia
      • Ogasawara-Shoto
      • Taiwan
  • Asia-tropical
    • Indian Subcontinent
      • Assam
      • Bangladesh
      • East Himalaya
      • India
      • Sri Lanka
    • Indo-China
      • Myanmar
      • Vietnam
    • Malesia
      • Jawa
      • Lesser Sunda Islands
      • Malaya
  • Northern America
    • Mexico
      • Mexico Central
      • Mexico Northeast
      • Mexico Southeast
      • Mexico Southwest
    • South-central U.S.A.
      • Texas
    • Southeastern U.S.A.
      • Alabama
      • Florida
  • Pacific
    • North-central Pacific
      • Hawaii
    • Northwestern Pacific
      • Marianas
    • South-central Pacific
      • Society Islands
    • Southwestern Pacific
      • Fiji
      • New Caledonia
      • Samoa
      • Vanuatu
  • Southern America
    • Brazil
      • Brazil North
      • Brazil Northeast
      • Brazil South
      • Brazil Southeast
      • Brazil West-central
    • Caribbean
      • Bahamas
      • Cuba
      • Dominican Republic
      • Haiti
      • Jamaica
      • Leeward Islands
      • Puerto Rico
      • Trinidad-Tobago
      • Windward Islands
    • Central America
      • Belize
      • Costa Rica
      • El Salvador
      • Guatemala
      • Honduras
    • Northern South America
      • Guyana
      • Suriname
      • Venezuela
    • Southern South America
      • Argentina Northeast
      • Argentina Northwest
      • Paraguay
    • Western South America
      • Bolivia
      • Colombia
      • Ecuador
      • Peru

Links to other databases Top

Suggest others/fix!
Database ID/link to page
World Flora Online wfo-0000410251
Florida Plant Atlas 254
Flora of Alabama 246
USDA Plants THAL3
Tropicos 100122
INPN 446878
KEW urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:56177-1
The Plant List kew-2436501
Missouri Botanical Garden 275277
Open Tree Of Life 511895
Observations.org 212145
NCBI Taxonomy 32198
Nature Serve 2.156507
IPNI 56177-1
iNaturalist 132458
GBIF 5415463
Freebase /m/0fz9b6
EPPO THNAL
EOL 577834
Elurikkus 535170
USDA GRIN 36599
Wikipedia Thunbergia_alata

Genomes (via NCBI) Top

No reference genome is available on NCBI yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.

Scientific Literature Top

Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
Title Authors Publication Released IDs
A comprehensive review of antimalarial medicinal plants used by Tanzanians Kacholi DS Pharm Biol 25-Jan-2024
PMCID:PMC10812860
doi:10.1080/13880209.2024.2305453
PMID:38270178
Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used by the people of Mosop, Nandi County in Kenya Maiyo ZC, Njeru SN, Toroitich FJ, Indieka SA, Obonyo MA Front Pharmacol 19-Jan-2024
PMCID:PMC10834697
doi:10.3389/fphar.2023.1328903
PMID:38313073
Metabolomic profile, anti-trypanosomal potential and molecular docking studies of Thunbergia grandifolia El-Nashar HA, Sayed AM, El-Sherief HA, Rateb ME, Akil L, Khadra I, Majrashi TA, Al-Rashood ST, Binjubair FA, El Hassab MA, Eldehna WM, Abdelmohsen UR, Mostafa NM J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem 20-Apr-2023
PMCID:PMC10120545
doi:10.1080/14756366.2023.2199950
PMID:37080775
An inventory of native-alien populations in South Africa Nelufule T, Robertson MP, Wilson JR, Faulkner KT Sci Data 15-Apr-2023
PMCID:PMC10105770
doi:10.1038/s41597-023-02119-w
PMID:37061528
Important Medicinal and Food Taxa (Orders and Families) in Kenya, Based on Three Quantitative Approaches Mutie FM, Mbuni YM, Rono PC, Mkala EM, Nzei JM, Phumthum M, Hu GW, Wang QF Plants (Basel) 02-Mar-2023
PMCID:PMC10005506
doi:10.3390/plants12051145
PMID:36904005
Do betaine lipids replace phosphatidylcholine as fatty acid editing hubs in microalgae? Hoffmann DY, Shachar-Hill Y Front Plant Sci 19-Jan-2023
PMCID:PMC9892843
doi:10.3389/fpls.2023.1077347
PMID:36743481
Cross-School Collaboration to Develop and Implement Self-Construction Greening Systems for Schools Teichmann F, Kirchengast I, Korjenic A Plants (Basel) 10-Jan-2023
PMCID:PMC9860625
doi:10.3390/plants12020327
PMID:36679040
Ethnomedicinal plants used for treatment of snakebites in Tanzania – a systematic review Mogha NG, Kalokora OJ, Amir HM, Kacholi DS Pharm Biol 07-Oct-2022
PMCID:PMC9553154
doi:10.1080/13880209.2022.2123942
PMID:36205572
Stem cambial variants of Taiwan lianas Yang SZ, Chen PH, Chen JJ Bot Stud 24-Sep-2022
PMCID:PMC9509506
doi:10.1186/s40529-022-00358-5
PMID:36153445
Desaturases: Structural and mechanistic insights into the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids Cerone M, Smith TK IUBMB Life 18-Sep-2022
PMCID:PMC9825965
doi:10.1002/iub.2671
PMID:36017969
Divergent evolution of extreme production of variant plant monounsaturated fatty acids Gan L, Park K, Chai J, Updike EM, Kim H, Voshall A, Behera S, Yu XH, Cai Y, Zhang C, Wilson MA, Mower JP, Moriyama EN, Zhang C, Kaewsuwan S, Liu Q, Shanklin J, Cahoon EB Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 22-Jul-2022
PMCID:PMC9335243
doi:10.1073/pnas.2201160119
PMID:35867834
Plant diversity and community analysis of Sele-Nono forest, Southwest Ethiopia: implication for conservation planning Kefalew A, Soromessa T, Demissew S Bot Stud 19-Jul-2022
PMCID:PMC9294133
doi:10.1186/s40529-022-00353-w
PMID:35851664
New Species of Large-Spored Alternaria in Section Porri Associated with Compositae Plants in China Zhao L, Luo H, Cheng H, Gou YN, Yu ZH, Deng JX J Fungi (Basel) 06-Jun-2022
PMCID:PMC9225545
doi:10.3390/jof8060607
PMID:35736091
Plant community analysis along environmental gradients in moist afromontane forest of Gerba Dima, South-western Ethiopia Dibaba A, Soromessa T, Warkineh B BMC Ecol Evol 07-Feb-2022
PMCID:PMC8819878
doi:10.1186/s12862-022-01964-4
PMID:35130842
Efficient micropropagation of Thunbergia coccinea Wall. and genetic homogeneity assessment through RAPD and ISSR markers Sultana KW, Das S, Chandra I, Roy A Sci Rep 31-Jan-2022
PMCID:PMC8803877
doi:10.1038/s41598-022-05787-7
PMID:35102225

Phytochemical Profile Top

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Below are displayed the proven (via scientific papers) natural compounds!
You can also contribute to this by clicking here.
Name PubChem ID Canonical SMILES MW Found in Proof
> Alkaloids and derivatives
Trigonelline 5570 Click to see 137.14 unknown https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(89)80280-8
> Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Prenol lipids / Terpene glycosides / Iridoid O-glycosides
(2S,3R,4S,5S,6R)-2-[[(1S,4aR,6S,7S,7aR)-6-hydroxy-7-(hydroxymethyl)-1,4a,5,6,7,7a-hexahydrocyclopenta[c]pyran-1-yl]oxy]-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxane-3,4,5-triol 162909633 Click to see 348.34 unknown https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)94832-5
(2S,3R,4S,5S,6R)-2-[[(1S,4aR,6S,7S,7aS)-6-hydroxy-7-(hydroxymethyl)-1,4a,5,6,7,7a-hexahydrocyclopenta[c]pyran-1-yl]oxy]-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxane-3,4,5-triol 101664502 Click to see 348.34 unknown https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(99)00244-7
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)94832-5
2-[[6-Hydroxy-7-(hydroxymethyl)-1,4a,5,6,7,7a-hexahydrocyclopenta[c]pyran-1-yl]oxy]-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxane-3,4,5-triol 162909631 Click to see C1C2C=COC(C2C(C1O)CO)OC3C(C(C(C(O3)CO)O)O)O 348.34 unknown https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)94832-5
> Organic oxygen compounds / Organooxygen compounds / Carbohydrates and carbohydrate conjugates / Glycosyl compounds / O-glycosyl compounds
(1S,4aS,5S,6S,7R,7aR)-6-chloro-1-[(2S,3R,4S,5S,6R)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxan-2-yl]oxy-5,6,7,7a-tetrahydro-1H-cyclopenta[c]pyran-4a,5,7-triol 101664500 Click to see C1=COC(C2C1(C(C(C2O)Cl)O)O)OC3C(C(C(C(O3)CO)O)O)O 384.76 unknown https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)94832-5
(2S,3R,4S,5S,6R)-2-[[(1R,2R,4S,5R,6S,10S)-5,6-dihydroxy-3,9-dioxatricyclo[4.4.0.02,4]dec-7-en-10-yl]oxy]-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxane-3,4,5-triol 24721154 Click to see 348.30 unknown https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(99)00244-7
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)89574-6
https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(89)80280-8
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)94832-5
(2S,3R,4S,5S,6R)-2-[[(1R,2R,4S,5S,6S,10S)-5,6-dihydroxy-3,9-dioxatricyclo[4.4.0.02,4]dec-7-en-10-yl]oxy]-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxane-3,4,5-triol 101664160 Click to see 348.30 unknown https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(89)80280-8
https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(88)87029-8
(2S,3R,4S,5S,6R)-2-[[(1S,2R,4S,5R,6S,10S)-5,6-dihydroxy-3,9-dioxatricyclo[4.4.0.02,4]dec-7-en-10-yl]oxy]-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxane-3,4,5-triol 163194599 Click to see 348.30 unknown https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)94832-5
(2S,3R,4S,5S,6R)-2-[[(1S,2R,4S,5S,6S,10S)-5,6-dihydroxy-3,9-dioxatricyclo[4.4.0.02,4]dec-7-en-10-yl]oxy]-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxane-3,4,5-triol 162970506 Click to see 348.30 unknown https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)94832-5
(2S,3R,4S,5S,6R)-2-[[(1S,4aR,5R,7S,7aS)-5,7-dihydroxy-1,4a,5,6,7,7a-hexahydrocyclopenta[c]pyran-1-yl]oxy]-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxane-3,4,5-triol 101664501 Click to see 334.32 unknown https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)94832-5
2-[(5,6-Dihydroxy-3,9-dioxatricyclo[4.4.0.02,4]dec-7-en-10-yl)oxy]-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxane-3,4,5-triol 74315814 Click to see 348.30 unknown https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(89)80280-8
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)94832-5
6-chloro-1-[3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxan-2-yl]oxy-5,6,7,7a-tetrahydro-1H-cyclopenta[c]pyran-4a,5,7-triol 162960598 Click to see C1=COC(C2C1(C(C(C2O)Cl)O)O)OC3C(C(C(C(O3)CO)O)O)O 384.76 unknown https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)94832-5

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