Known locally as bees bush and rice and peas bush, the antigonon leptopus plant is a vine plant that is common in warmer low-lying areas of the island. More widely known as coral vine, they are a very resilient and fast-growing plant that can easily blanket other vegetation in their local area. As quickly as they grow, they produce glittering pink flowers that are a magnet to bees, hence the name bees bush. These flowers mature to produce seeds that fall to the ground and have a high gemination rate. Underground tubers produced by the plant store moisture and nutrients which aid the plant in regrowing after the dismemberment and destruction of its terrestrial portion. Their resilience makes them a pest for those clearing land, especially for agricultural use. For permanent eradication of the plant, the tubers must be searched for in the ground and removed, else their regrowth will be a persistent problem.
Phyla: Magnoliophyta (Flowering plant)
Family: Polygonaceae (Buckwheats)
Genus: Antigonon
Species: Antigonon leptopus
Both the leaves with vine and the root tubers respectfully are used traditionally to make herbal tea. This brew is said to be a treatment for the common cold.
