Tibouchina

Melastomataceae

Lasiandra

Evergreen shrubs and trees, large flowers, usually purple.

Uses

In colder places a wall shrub, conservatory plant, greenhouse plant.
In milder climates, in garden beds or even a lawn specimen.

Culture

Most soils, prefers freely draining organic soil; water freely in hot weather, moderately at other times; best grown at temperatures around 18 to 25 degrees Celsius.

Prune to prevent from becoming straggly and encourage bushy new growth.

Propagation

Cuttings from side shoots in autumn may be taken and kept in a greenhouse at 20-25 degrees C. Bottom heat may help.

Cultivars

An increasing range of species and named cultivars are grown, including:

T. elegans: To 2 metres tall, purple flowers.
T. edwardsii: To 2.5m tall, velvety leaves, purple flowers.
T. urvilleana (syn. T. grandiflora; Glory Bush): To 5 metres, velvet-like hairy leaves, prominent veins, with rosy-purple flowers which are larger than those of T. elegans.

Plant Health

Frost sensitive; will grow in a temperate climate protected from frost, among other plants or against a wall, but they are usually treated as a conservatory plant in temperate zones.

More info

Also known as Brazilian Spider Flower, Glory Bush
Origin: Central America, Caribbean to South America; around 350 species.

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