Despite sharing a common name with the native meadow perennial, black-eyed Susan vine (Thunbergia alata) is a tropical twiner with no botanical connection to Rudbeckia. It originates from tropical Africa and climbs by twining rather than by tendrils or adhesive pads, making it well-suited to arbors, trellises, and fences where it can wind its stems through the support. The flowers are a warm gold with a near-black center tube, held against a backdrop of bright green arrow-shaped leaves. In warmer climates it reseeds readily and can become weedy; in most of North America it is grown as an annual and replaced each spring.

Plant in full sun with some afternoon shade in hot climates, in rich, consistently moist, well-drained soil. Given a support structure and regular moisture through the heat of summer, it climbs to 3 to 8 feet and blooms prolifically into fall. Hanging baskets show off its trailing habit well, and in that setting it requires no structural support at all. Container plants can be overwintered indoors if moved before frost, cutting back the stems and keeping them just barely moist until new growth begins in late winter. Bees visit the flowers with enthusiasm, making it a useful nectar source in a productive kitchen garden or cutting garden setting.