Yes the second one is Vigna Caracalla.It is confusing that these vines are both known as Snail vine.I love the Vigna Caracalla the fragrance is wonderful.

karyn, when your corkscrew vine sets seeds,[ the one that smells so good] will ya share or really i mean, trade?let me know what you'd like in trade.thanks ahead,molly[sewnmom7@yahoo.com]

Molly if I get any seed pods I'll be happy to share. My Snail vine has been blooming for a couple years and has never produced any seeds. I don't know if the Corkscrew will either. Keep in touch and I'll let you know if I get any.
Karyn

I have vigna caracalla too. I got it last year from Logees. It flowered the same year in a pot with my usual ghetto bamboo trellis setup. It was pollinated by little tiny ants. They were all over it. It had 3 seedpods. Two got knocked off by the wind before they were mature. The last one fell off but I don't think it was mature enough because the seeds were like a tiny pin head size. This year it got huge but hasn't flowered yet.
I was at the walmart here and they actually had the purple non fragrant snail vines flowering and clearly labeled as vigna caracalla~beware.
~SJN

I don't remember where I bought my vines. I know it was mail order but can't recall what company. I bought two vines and thought they were the same. I didn't realize at first that only one had flowered because they were in containers next to each other and had become intertwined. It wasn't until I brought them in for the winter that I saw that only one had bloomed. I have ants all over the snail vine but that's because they keep farming those damn black aphids! They only place them on the open blooms and will bring them back from who knows where because I hose and wipe them off constantly. They are nowhere on the stems, foliage or immature buds so I really do believe that the ants are brining them to the plant. No damamge is being done that I can see, even to the open blooms that they are on. So far no ants on the other plant and no seed pods on either.
Karyn

Hi, Karyn;
I have a corkscrew vine but it hasn't bloomed yet. It is growing nicely. Is yours in the shade? Mine is, I hope that's where it's supposed to be. I got it from Wayside this spring. Is it an annual? Or will it winter over if I bring it inside this fall? If I happen to get any seeds, I'm willing to share them. Brandy

Brandy, I grew corkscrew vine for several years here in Kernersville,NC. I had it in a pot that I overwintered in the garage successfully for three winters. This plant is a tropical vine that I have not seen to be hardy in my zone 7a garden. I believe that it is only hardy to zone 9 so depending on your microclimate it might possibly be hardy, but if I were you, I would assume it is not. I grew my plant in full sun one year and it was loaded with seeds that I collected and traded. The following year, I grew it where it received afternoon shade and it developed seed pods that did not get ripe before the first frost. Since the vine grew high up into a tree, I had to cut the vines off containing the seed pods and didn't get any seeds that year. As a result, I would recommend growing it in as hot a situation as possible to mimic its cultural heritage in South America. This will help the seed pods develop faster and increase the likelihood they will mature before the first frost.

Ants are the smartest critters, just gotta admire them. They do farm aphids. The ants I had on the corkscrew last year were tiny brownish red ones but I didn't see any aphids then. I know other ants here try to farm aphids on some of my other vines. Its a case of get rid of the ants get rid of the aphids with those.
~SJN

Thank you, ncville. I think I will relocate mine into the sun w/ my baby clematis. I wonder if it would overwinter outside my balcony door- my fushia did last yr. Brandy

If you want to keep it alive, you might want to bring it in to be on the safe side. The first plant I purchased from an online mailorder source said it was hardy to zone 7. NOT!!! The last one I had I grew from seeds purchased from the Seed Savers Exchange. They say it is native to Venezuela so I treated it as a tropical and brought it in for the winter. Of course, they also call it snail vine which it isn't!

Here is a link that might be useful: Vigna caracalla

Both of mine grow in full sun and get watered daily. I winter them over inside under HID lights and the Snail Vine has continued to bloom throughout the winter. Since the Corkscrew vine has finally begun to bloom maybe that one will continue to flower over the winter also? I do cut them way back when I take them back outside in the spring. Even though they continue to grow throughout the winter the foliage isn't that nice.
Karyn

The foliage on my gets rather sickly looking inside by the end of winte. The garage where it was overwintered faces south and has windows but the temps and light don't make for good growing conditions during the winter. In early spring, the plant normally started putting out new foliage but I usually just cut it back even more severely then when bringing it inside for the winter since the tender new foliage normally burned on exposure to sunlight when I moved it outside. I just let the foliage reappear once it was moved outside so it was acclimated as it put new foliage.

The first plant is know as the snail plant vine (phaseolus caracalla) the flower is a little differenr from the second picture they will only be a pale lavendar and have no scent the seed pods are slightly different a little smaller in comparison of the second pic. The second flower is called a corkscrew vine ( vigna caracalla) this is a very beautiful vine it has multi colored flowers and has a scent some people describe as similar to a hycinth. The flowers are a little different and the seed pods are bigger. They are actully sister plants and alot of people confuse the two and alot of people will advertise the snail vine and show a pic of the corkscrew vine. Like me , now my snail vine is very beautiful and growing like a monster but I really wanted the multi colors and that scent. I purchase mine at the end of may this year and the plant had to be no more than a inch tall, my husband laughed at me it's now covered a gazebo of mine and producing it's first seedpod, I am looking for the vigna caracalla now but I want to make sure it is that plant if anyone can suggest a place I'd love to know also another thing if you have a snail vine and you look closely at the flower it kinda resmbles a swan in the middle. If anyone with info on the corkscrew vine can contact me. Happy Gardening.

Klauer, I got the seeds of Vigna caracalla from Seed Savers Exchange a couple of years ago. They list it as Snail Vine and then in the description identify it as Vigna caracalla. It definitely is Vigna caracalla though and does have that exquisite heady fragrance.

Here is a link that might be useful: Vigna caracalla at Seed Savers Exchange