Tibouchina urvilleana
Common name:
Princess Flower
Glory Bush
Lasiandra
Pronunciation:
ti-boo-CHEE-na ur-vil-ee-AH-na
Family:
Melastometaceae
Genus:
Type:
Broadleaf
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon:
No
- Evergreen shrub, to 15 ft (4.5 m) tall, somewhat over half as wide, rounded form, new growth reddish. Leaves opposite, simple, elliptic-ovate to lanceolate, 4-12 cm long, 2-5 cm wide, 5-7 main veins, apex pointed (acute to acuminate), base rounded, green above, sometimes edged in red, slightly hairy below. Flowers 7.5 cm wide, royal purple, 5-petaled, long purple stamens, solitary or small terminal clusters; blooms over a long period. Fruit is a 5-valved, egg-shaped, 12 mm wide, pale brownish capsule with a persistent calyx tube.
- Sun part shade. Best in light, moist soil with added organic matter. In cooler regions an attractive pot plant if protected in winter.
- Hardy to USDA Zone 9 Native to southern Brazil.
- Note: Sometimes called a "beautiful weed" in Hawaii where it has naturalized (on Kauai, Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii), it is on the state's noxious weed list, forms thickets in moist areas. Since this species has not been found in any undisturbed natural areas in Florida it is not considered a problem in that state.
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plant habit, flowering
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flowers and leaves
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flower
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