Strongylodon macrobotrys, emerald vine.jpeg

Strongylodon macrobotrys, commonly known as jade vine, emerald vine[2] or turquoise jade vine,[3] is a species of leguminous perennial liana (woody vine), a native of the tropical forests of the Philippines, with stems that can reach up to 18 m in length.[4] Its local name is Tayabak.[5] A member of the Fabaceae (the pea and bean family), it is closely related to beans such as kidney bean and runner bean.[4] Strongylodon macrobotrys is pollinated by birds and bats.

Origins
Jade vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys) was discovered in 1841 on the jungled slopes of Mount Makiling, on the Philippines’ Luzon Island, by members of the United States Exploring Expedition led by U.S. Navy Lt. Charles Wilkes . One can only imagine how startling that apparition must have been, but we are left only with the description of the Harvard-based botanist Asa Gray, who had locked horns with Wilkes previously and elected not to join the voyage. As part of the task of describing the thousands of plants collected by the multi-ship expedition, which ranged from Honolulu to Antarctica and involved several violent skirmishes with the natives (Wilkes was court-martialed at the end of the expedition, but acquitted), Gray named the vine in 1854. Its species epithet macrobotrys means “large grape cluster”, referring to the fruit. The genus name derives from the Greek strongylos or “round”, and odon or “teeth”, referring to the rounded teeth of the calyx. A member of the bean family, Jade vine is bat-pollinated in the wild, thus it must be hand-pollinated in greenhouses to bear its fruit, which can grow to be melon-sized. This has been done over the years at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew Gardens in England, where seed conservation is an ongoing focus, especially in the face of loss of rainforest habitat.[6]
Habitat and pollinators
The plant grows beside streams in damp forests, or in ravines.[4] The inflorescences are only produced by mature vines.[citation needed] Each individual bloom resembles a stout-bodied butterfly with folded wings;[citation needed] they have evolved certain modifications to allow them to be pollinated by a species of bat that hangs upside down on the inflorescence to drink its nectar.[4] The flowers are also visited by a species of wasp,[citation needed] and are home to a species of butterfly.[citation needed]

There are several other species of Strongylodon, but the superficially similar red jade vine, Mucuna bennettii, is a species belonging to a different genus, Mucuna. It seems to be endemic to the Philippines and is usually found in forests. Propagation has always been difficult. It is considered an endangered species due to the destruction of its habitat and the decrease of its natural pollinators.[citation needed] There seems to be a method of marcotting through mature woody stems. It is best planted in ground near a water source, but not inundated. The vine entwines itself through the trunk and branches of trees and the leaves spread over the canopy. The flowers hang like clusters of grapes.