| Neutral | Monocromatico | On Sep 20, 2003, Monocromatico from Rio de Janeiro
Brazil (Zone 11) wrote:This is a rather small plant for the Malpighiaceae family, reaching up to 30cm tall only, altough it has an underground stem (the specific name "tuberosa" is actually misnamed, since the underground stem does not configurates a "tuber") that may reach up to 1 meter deep! Itīs adapted to seasonal fire, so without fire itīs possible that this plant will take the oportunity to grow a little more, but I havenīt noticed it so far.
It has large green leaves, showing only a few of them along the short stem. The inflorescence comes from the top, bearing several yellow flowers with orange sepals. Each sepal bears a pair of oil glands that atract bees. The color effect of orange/yellow atracts them from a distance. The already fertilized flowers turn orange too, so the color effect stays in the inflorescence for a long time. Blooms during winter.
It needs full sun, moderate temperatures, deep red clay soils, and regular watering. It will survive any accidental fires. |
