Tibouchina heteromalla
Encyclopedia
Tibouchina heteromalla, common name Silverleafed Princess Flower, is a species of evergreen
flowering plant
in the genus Tibouchina
, belonging to Melastomataceae
family.
bearing several small purple-violet flowers with five petals and white centers. The flowering period extend through Summer and Autumn.
Tibouchina heteromalla is sometimes incorrectly listed with the invalid name of Tibouchina grandiflora.
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
in the genus Tibouchina
Tibouchina
Tibouchina is a genus of about 350 species of neotropical plants in the family Melastomataceae. They are trees, shrubs or subshrubs growing 0.5–25 m tall, and are known as glory bushes or glory trees. They are native to rainforests of Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America, especially Brazil...
, belonging to Melastomataceae
Melastomataceae
right|thumb|200px|Characteristic venation of many melastomesThe family Melastomataceae is a taxon of dicotyledonous flowering plants found mostly in the tropics comprising some 200 genera and 4500 species...
family.
Description
Tibouchina heteromalla reaches on average a height of 30–40 cm (11.8–15.7 ), with a maximum of about 100 centimetres (39.4 in) in the native country. The stem is woody and very branched and the large, velvety, silvery green leaves are simple, opposite and ovate. The inflorescence is a paniclePanicle
A panicle is a compound raceme, a loose, much-branched indeterminate inflorescence with pedicellate flowers attached along the secondary branches; in other words, a branched cluster of flowers in which the branches are racemes....
bearing several small purple-violet flowers with five petals and white centers. The flowering period extend through Summer and Autumn.
Habitat
This dramatic flowering tropical shrub is cultivated its large bright flowers and showy foliage. Despite it is cold-sensitive, it tolerates light frosts. It prefers well drained, moist and rich soils and full sun or partial shade.Synonyms
- Lasiandra macrophylla Naudin
- Melastoma heteromallum D.Don
- Tibouchina grandifolia Cogn.
Tibouchina heteromalla is sometimes incorrectly listed with the invalid name of Tibouchina grandiflora.