PlantFiles: Pink Congea, Pink Shower Orchid, Shower of Orchids, Shower-of-Orchids, Pink Sandpaper Vine
Congea griffithiana

Pink shower orchid (Congea griffithiana) is a native plant from Burma to Malayasia and is rarely seen in cultivation outside of the tropics. It appears to grow happily in the Hawaiian Islands as a nonnative plant. A climbing vine, it is also often trained as a shrub. The thick, ovate-elliptic, opposite, 5-15 cm long leaves are glossy on the top and covered with fine hairs undemeath.

Pink shower orchid blooms in late winter and spring. It is noted for the 4 or 5, spathala-shaped, 2 to 3.5 cm long, woolly (wooly) flower bracts which subtend the flowerheads. The flowerheads have 4 to 8 flowers each. The 6 to 9 mm long, white with purple in the center corolla has 2-lipped, fused petals and 4 protruding stamen. The bracts open white, turn pinkish-lavender and then a tan as they mature. The fruit is an obovoid drupe and contains 1 seed. Pink shower orchid may be pruned to keep it in shape; however, avoid excessive pruning because the flowers are produced on the stem tips.