Mandevilla

Mandevilla

Twining Climbing Vine

Pet & Human Safety

People: Skin irritant to peoplePets: Not on the ASPCA lists as we read them

Hazardous parts

milky sap

Preparation

not applicable: not a food plant in PlotAndPetal

Hazard type

The milky sap can irritate skin and may be toxic if swallowed (UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions). No poison severity rating was found.

Hazard route

skin

How complete this information is

The safety information on this page is partial. Where a source covers a point, it is shown; where none does, the page says so.

Toxic to pets

No ASPCA entry found.

No ASPCA or land-grant university source found for this genus's toxicity. Worth flagging for context, not as a verdict: Mandevilla belongs to the dogbane family (Apocynaceae), the same family as oleander, and many consumer gardening sites describe its milky latex sap as a skin/eye irritant on contact. That claim is not confirmed by ASPCA or a university source, so it is not asserted here as fact: no verdict is given, and the family context is noted for awareness only.

PlotAndPetal cannot tell you whether a plant you found can be eaten. Only someone who can see the plant can identify it.

Poison control

If someone has collapsed, cannot be woken, is having a seizure or has trouble breathing, call 911 now. For any other possible poisoning, call Poison Help: 1-800-222-1222.

Emergency number source: U.S. federal law (47 U.S.C. § 251(e)(3)), read 2026-10-07.

Naturalist Lore

Historical Background & Breeding Lore

The history of this plant and its name, and how it was bred, where we have them.

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Care

Hardiness zones: USDA zones 10 to 11 (dies back to the ground with a freeze)
Water needs: moderate
Mature size: 10-20 feet in the landscape on a support structure; substantially smaller and moundier in a container (Clemson HGIC).
Family: Apocynaceae (dogbane family)
Where it comes from: Tropical America; roughly 100 species in the genus (Clemson HGIC).

Soil & Drainage

Pruning & Flush Rhythm

Feeding Schedule

How to prepare the soil, when and what to feed, and how and when to prune where that applies.

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