Solandra maxima aka Hawaiian Lilly

Solandra maxima has the common name golden chalice vine. Other names include chalice vine and capa de oro. It belongs to the nightshade family, Solanaceae. Kew gives its native range as Mexico to Colombia. It grows in the tropics, in places with dry seasons. The RHS says it is not native to Britain or Ireland. These records tell us where the plant comes from. They do not show every place where gardeners could grow it.

Kew calls the plant a shrub that scrambles. Chicago Botanic Garden calls it a vine that creeps. These accounts describe two sides of how the plant grows. One calls it a shrub; the other notes how it spreads. Chicago classes it as a vine for garden use. The supplied records give no height or spread at full size. Nor do they describe its bark, stems, or leaves.

Chicago Botanic Garden says the plant has yellow flowers. Its bloom chart spans November through April in three two-month blocks. The first runs from November through December. The next runs from January through February. The last runs from March through April. The listed bloom season thus spans winter and reaches into spring. The record does not say if blooms last without breaks. It gives no flower size or scent, and no fruit details. The common name alone does not tell us these traits.

Chicago lists full sun and part shade as suitable. It gives a hardiness range of USDA zones 8–11. The water record calls for a moderate amount of water. Kew describes dry seasons in the plant's native home. That climate record is not a guide for when to water. It should not take the place of the stated garden water needs. The supplied pages give no soil texture or pH range. They give no UK hardiness rating or guide to growing indoors.

The records support its use as a vine in gardens. They name no set type of support or way to prune. They do not say how fast it grows. Nor do they say how hard it is to care for. They list no pests, diseases, or weed problems. No supplied source states which parts people can eat. None establishes uses as medicine or whether the plant is toxic. These gaps do not mean it is safe to eat. Its food value and safety remain unclear in these records.