They are vicious, horrible plants! I have walked into these in northern queensland. Ouch. I guess they do look nice- when viewed from a safe distance.

Lellie, I have had this vine in zone 10a. Maybe there are different varieties, but mine didn't have any thorns! It was a very fast grower but can be kept in check fairly easily if you pay attention. I grew mine over a stucco wall and absolutely loved it. The fragrance is heavenly. I plan on having another one once we move to our new home to be. I think it may be my favorite vine. Try it, enjoy!

I am growing this in a pot. I just went to check for thorns and low and behold I found them....ouch. It just started growing after almost dying on me after being shipped.

I hope the kids don't run into it and get stuck!

I have had mine for years, and have never seen any thorns. I let it run on my porch before I screened it in, and it was huge, gorgeous and fragrant. Last year, when I screened the porch, I cut it way back, and it has been easy to manage all summer. Just pay attention, and cut it when you need to.

Thorns? No thorns?
Could there be two different strains?

I never heard of them having thorns either. It's such a beautiful vine and you are lucky to have one. :)

Leona

Oh Leona...I don't have one...yet.
I'm planning on purchasing one but wanted a bit more info.

I grow mine in a large pot and yes - it has thorns!

I did not see any thorns on the one at Selby Gardens down here. Maybe there are two varieties. I have also seen a double flowered cultivar recently. Never checked to see if these had thorns, as I was not aware that any of them had thorns!

There must be 2 varieties. I have had mine for many years, and no thorns have ever appeared.

Hi Lellie,
I grow these in tropical northern Australia. We call it Rangoon creeper, quisqualis, or red-jasmine. I love them although they can be a bit invasive. There are a lot of them around here and my experience has been that the aggressive new, climbing growth has thorns. these are quite vicious looking but are softer and less sharp than they look. You still don't want to step barefoot on a pile of cuttings. Many people here including myself, grow it as a small tree. If you figure out when its most prolific flowering period is in your area and prune it HARD after it flowers, then give it a good, organic feed and train it were you want it when it starts to grow back.
Good luck.
Brendon

My folks have this in northern India, and I don't remember thorns, but the scent is wonderful. Yes, it does get very tall, but it can be easily pruned. I've inquired about ordering one from rareflora.com, but have yet to hear back from them. Does anyone know a supplier in northern California? Brendon, I'd like to know how to grow/train it as a small tree. If I remember right it defoliates in the winter.

Winter?? What's that?
We have only wet and dry season LOL. Mine started as a climber on the side of the house. We just prune it back to about 12' tall after it flowers. It sends out long, green wood branches with the aforementioned thorns which try and find a hold to climb. It is these which must be pruned to keep it under control. I prune it about every 3 or 4 months just to keep the long growths down and hard prune it after flowering. Then I give it a good feed and enjoy it for the next few months. It flowers here almost constantly but puts on a really heavy show every few months.
I gave an offset to a mate who trained it over wires to grow up onto his garden shed and the roof of his verandah. This has reduced the daytime temperature of both by about 20 degrees.
As long as I live in the tropics or subtropics this is one I will always grow.
Good luck,
Brendon

froze to the ground at 12 degrees. in april it came back and it is bigger in one month than it was when it first froze and bloomed all summer. 2 years in a row. you have to be patient but it is root hardy. i live in brenham,tx in central texas.

I think the 'thorns' are actually spikes from leaflets that have fallen off. If you have more than one plant, they will produce the triangle nuts and all that the squirrels don't eat will sprout.