Tibouchina
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| Tibouchina semidecandra | ||||||||||||
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about 350 |
Tibouchina is a genus of about 350 species of neotropical plants in the family Melastomataceae. Members are shrubs or subshrubs, and are known as "glory bushes" or sometimes "glory trees". They are native to rainforests of Mexico, the West Indies, and South America, especially Brazil. The name comes from an adaptation of the native Guiana term for these shrubs.
Several species are cultivated for their large bright flowers:
- Tibouchina granulosa (Purple Glory Tree, or Quaresmeira in Brazil)
- Tibouchina organensis
- Tibouchina maudhiana
- Tibouchina urvilleana (syn. = T. semidecandra)
As tropical plants they are rather cold-sensitive, and should be raised in a greenhouse wherever temperatures fall below 7 deg C (45 deg F).
Several Tibouchina species are considered noxious weeds in Hawai‘i.