Cat’s Claw: Tenacious, Aggressive Vine

Cat’s claw vine is often grown to cover blank desert garden walls. It does that extremely well, but at a cost. Here’s everything you need to know to decide whether this aggressive Mexican native is right for your garden, plus how to take care of it if you decide to give it a try.

Cat’s claw (Dolichandra unguis-cati) is a clinging vine with small, dark green leaves and lemon-yellow trumpet-shaped flowers that bloom in the spring. Long, skinny seed pods that look like brown string beans follow.

It’s a vine of choice in the southwest for covering unsightly block garden walls since it grows fast, needs little water, and clings to walls without support. It doesn’t mind reflected heat and can be grown directly on the hottest walls on your property.

Why You May Like This Plant

Forms a dense evergreen screen
Showy lemon-yellow flowers
Low water use
Tolerates harsh conditions
Clings to walls without support

But this aggressive vine has some serious downsides.

Things to Watch Out For

Managing this plant’s rampant growth can become a chore. It grows fast and requires frequent pruning to be kept in bounds. Scorpions, ants, and other biting insects often make their home in the vine and resent being disturbed.

Cat’s claw grows aggressively. Its claw-like tendrils dig into masonry and stucco, defacing any surface it clings to. A former neighbor let theirs grow while they were gone during the summer. It grew into their attic and lifted some roof tiles. I’ve heard of many similar horror stories.

Once established, its large potato-like tubers make it nearly impossible to get rid of.

While it forms a dense screen that clings to walls and other surfaces, a strong wind can knock down large sections of it. Once down, it won’t reattach, so you’ll need to cut it down and start over.

Don’t plant it for the flowers. The bloom period is short — only a week or two.

It is considered mildly poisonous to humans and other animals. Some people experience dermatitis after handling it, so wear gloves when working around this plant.

Cat’s claw is considered invasive in many parts of the world. (It’s a serious scourge in parts of Australia.) Here in the desert southwest, it’s not considered invasive (yet), except in Texas. However, there’s evidence that it has the potential to become invasive in Arizona. For this reason alone, I would not plant it.

Optimal Growing Conditions

If the negatives of this plant haven’t discouraged you and you’re still thinking of adding a cat’s claw vine to your garden, here are the key factors to keep in mind.

Temperature

Cat’s claw should be grown in USDA Hardiness Zones 8 to 10. It easily handles desert heat. It’s cold hardy down to 15℉, but sometimes loses its leaves during cold spells.

Sun Exposure

Cat’s claw can be grown in any sun exposure — from full sun to full shade — but it blooms best in full sun. Plants will grow on west-facing walls, the hottest, sunniest spot in desert gardens, but often look bedraggled there.

Size and Growth Rate

Cat’s claw is a large, fast-growing vine that usually reaches a size of around 10 feet wide by 20 feet tall, but it can grow much taller. A plant’s mature size depends on how happy it is in its space, and how it’s watered and pruned.

Soil

Cat’s claw is a tough survivor that will grow in any type of desert soil provided it’s well-draining.

Other Location Considerations

If you plan to grow it on a shared wall, check with your neighbor since it will quickly cascade over the wall and into their yard. Discuss who will be responsible for pruning the foliage that winds up on their side of the wall.

Cat’s claw has hooked, claw-like tendrils that enable it to cling to stucco and cement block walls unsupported. I strongly urge you not to let it climb up your house or a stucco garden wall. It will damage your stucco.

close up of cat's claw vine's tentrils — Cat’s claw tendril

Cat’s Claw Vine:
The Essentials

Common Name	Cat’s claw
Scientific Name	Dolichandra unguis-cati
Origin	Mexico to South America
Plant Type	Evergreen vine
USDA Zones	Zones 8 – 10
Cold Hardiness	To 15℉
Flower Color	Yellow
Flower Season	Spring
Mature Size	20′ high x 10′ wide
Growth Rate	Fast
Sun Tolerance	Any
Water Needs	Low
Pests & Diseases	None
Cautions	Aggressive, mildly toxic
Wildlife	Rabbit resistant

How to Plant

The rule of thumb when planting any vine in the desert is to dig a hole three times as wide as the root ball but no deeper.

Amending the soil is not recommended. Counterintuitively, backfilling with the same native soil you just dug up helps your plant develop a stronger root system. (Not that it needs any help with that.)

When to Plant

The best time to plant cat’s claw is in the fall. This gives it three seasons to grow roots and get established before the following summer.

The second best time is in spring, the earlier the better. This still gives it time to get established before the intense heat of June arrives.

How to Care for Cat’s Claw

Whether you’ve recently planted a cat’s claw or have an existing plant in your yard, here’s how to take care of it to keep it healthy and looking its best.

How to Water

Once you’ve got your cat’s claw in the ground, watering is your most immediate concern. Here is a recommended watering schedule for new vines planted in the spring or fall.

Weeks 1 & 2	Every 3 – 4 days
Weeks 3 & 4	Every 6 – 7 days
Weeks 5 & 6	Every 7 – 10 days
Weeks 7 & 8	Every 10 – 14 days

After week 8, gradually revise your watering schedule, depending on the season.

Cat’s claw is drought tolerant once established and can survive on rainwater alone, but will look its best when watered once or twice a month spring through fall.

Once established, plants may go dormant but won’t die from lack of water. They have an extensive root system that includes tubers that store water. Tubers look like large sweet potatoes and can get as big as a football! 😮

Should You Fertilize?

There’s no need to fertilize cat’s claw. It grows vigorously without fertilizer.

How to Prune

It’s generally recommended that you give cat’s claw a hard prune in the spring every few years for size reduction and rejuvenation. It will grow back fast.

In most situations, cat’s claw requires frequent pruning to keep its size in check. If you want to keep it topped off and on “your side” of a shared wall, you can expect to trim it every few weeks when it’s actively growing.

Alternatives to Cat’s Claw

If you are concerned about the aggressive, damaging nature of cat’s claw vine, but would like a vine with yellow flowers consider growing yuca vine, yellow orchid vine, Carolina jessamine, or even a yellow Lady Banks rose.

Plant Lover Facts

Cat’s claw (Dolichandra unguis-cati) goes by a few other common names including cat’s claw climber, funnel creeper, and yellow trumpet vine. You may also see it listed as its previous scientific name Macfadyena unguis-cati.

It has a large native range that runs from northern Mexico south through much of South America

Traditionally, cat’s claw was used to treat snake bites, venereal disease, and malaria.

You may have seen cat’s claw supplements for sale, but they are not sourced from the same plant. They are made from Uncaria tomentosa, an unrelated plant with the same common name.

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Author Bio

Deane Alban is the creator of Southwest Gardener. She is a science writer with a bachelor’s degree in botany from the University of South Florida. Gardening is her lifelong passion. She’s been gardening in Tucson for over 15 years.

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