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Dolichandra unguis-cati
Also called Cat Claw, Cat's Claw, Catclaw Creeper, Catclaw Trumpet, Funnel Creeper, Macfadyena, Cat’s Claw Creeper
A fast-growing woody vine from the Americas that climbs by small aerial roots and can spread aggressively, sometimes becoming invasive. The key to growing it is containing its rapid spread, as it climbs and smothers other plants.
Dolichandra unguis-cati, commonly known as cat's claw creeper, funnel creeper, or cat's claw trumpet, In Hawai'i it is called hug-me-tight. is a rapidly growing climbing vine belonging to the family Bignoniaceae. It affects all plant layers of the forest ecosystem spreading rapidly both vertically and horizontally.
This plant is native to the tropical dry forest of Central America, South America (Mexico to Brazil and northern Argentina) and the Caribbean. In these natural areas it occurs from sea level to over 600 metres (2,000 ft) above sea level and where the rainfall is 750 to 2,400 mm (30 to 94 in) per year. It can become invasive due to its fast growth and it is present worldwide, often having been introduced as an ornamental plant to these regions. It can affect all layers of plants of forest ecosystems by rapidly spreading both vertically and horizontally.
Its use has been documented as an antidote for snake bites in folk medicine. It is also used to treat dermatitis, in addition to being antipyretic. Furthermore, being anti-inflammatory, it has been used for the treatment of intestinal ailments, venereal disease, rheumatism, dysentery, malaria and oliguria. Its leaves revealed antitumoral and antitrypanosomal activities.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Dolichandra unguis-cati by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
