Social climber

This is one of a number of Chilean climbers we grow in the garden. Ercilla volubilis is a self-clinger, apparently, though it tends to push its way into cracks in the rock face and get a grip as the stems grow, rather like an expanding bolt.

Ours grows through a number of other plants on the rock wall we call 'The Cliff', which is actually a geological dyke. I always say 'geological dyke', just as people refer to their 'business partner'!

This plant is one of two grown from wild-collected seed via the RBG Edinburgh - the other seedling turned out to be white, so we have two very different plants.