"Alice du Pont" / "Rubiniana" - Strong Twiner (XL)
This mandevilla has very large textured leaves, large pink trumpet flowers with a large flower eye. This vigorous variety flowers abundanty, a favourite in the FassadenGrün assortment. "Alice du Pont" / "Rubiniana" can reach 4 m by the end of August, and 5 m or more by frost. The shoots twine readily around climbing aids. Flowers debut from May until frost; the leaves are dark green, glossy, and ribbed leaves. Each flower remains open for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 weeks. For location, pruning, suitable trellis systems, etc., see mandevilla general information. We recommend pre-ordering.
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Hybrid variety, lat.: Mandevilla x amabilis, synonym Mandevilla x Amoena, Mandevilla x Rubiniana , Klevilla®
The History...
This mandevilla has been blooming since 1930 in the legendary Longwood Garden near Philadelphia on the east coast of the USA (see "longwoodgardens.org"). It was listed there as "Mandevilla x amoena" and came from an agricultural estate near New York ("Mitchel Estate" in Oyster Bay). Around 1955, however, the then manager of "Longwood Garden," Dr. Donald Huttleston, doubted the botanical classification and sent specimens to his botanist colleague Dr. Robert E. Woodson Jr. in Saint Louis to identify. He showed interest and identified the plant as "Mandevilla splendens." Dr. Huttleston, in turn, also doubted this classification and propagated the seeds of this mandevilla. This resulted in plants with different flower colours, indicating that it was not a species, but a hybrid cross that did not show many characteristics of the mother plant. The mystery was solved: it was probably an accidental hybrid of the white "Mandevilla boliviensis" and the pink "Mandevilla splendens." In any case, Dr. Huttleston named it "Alice du Pont," in honorable memory of the wife of the creator of Longwood Garden. Today, "Alice du Pont" is one of the most well-known and most sold mandevilla varieties on the market.
Breeding Klevilla® "Rubiniana
In addition to "Alice du Pont," the "Rubiniana" variety is also sold today. Its origin is obscure; it is probably a hybrid with the same parents (or from seedlings of) "Alice du Pont." Plants of such quality are subject to many attempts at improvement. Hannen Nursery in Kleve, Germany, have worked on this mandevilla with the aim of prolonging the duration of each individual flower for a better flower density of the plant. The result is sold under the name "Klevilla"® and also in the product range at FassadenGrün.
