Golden trumpet
Allamanda cathartica
Also called Allamanda, Yellow bell and Buttercup flower
Houseplant · FloweringThe species name is the warning: every part of it is a strong purgative and the milky sap irritates skin, so wear gloves to prune and wash afterwards. It needs a conservatory in Britain — it stops flowering below about 18°C.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Hard
- Water
- Every 4 daysKeep it moist — water at the first hint of dryness — don't wait for a dry pot.
- Light
- Bright, with several hours of direct sun
- Feed
- Once a fortnight
- Humidity
- High
- Hardiness
- Tropical — indoors, warm RHS H1A, to 15°C
- Size
- 3 m tall · 1.5 m across
- Lifecycle
- Climber
- Origin
- Brazil
Is it safe for pets and people?
No animal-poison authority lists this plant. Flagged unsafe on a people-toxicity source, which is the cautious reading rather than a checked one.
RHS category C — harmful if eaten, and the milky sap irritates skin and eyes. Wear gloves to prune and wash afterwards. ASPCA does not name it, so nothing is claimed about pets either way.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-09-22.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- Plenty of leaf and no trumpets from about October. It needs 18°C and strong light to flower at all — in a cool conservatory it is a foliage plant for half the year.Stops flowering · disorder
- White woolly specks in the leaf joints and where the stems are tied to a support, with a sticky shine below them.Mealybug · pest