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Lamiaceae Taxonomy Browser
Congea tomentosa Roxb.
EOL Text
Congea tomentosa Roxb., Pl. Coromandel. 3: 90. 1820.
Twining liana, with numerous lateral branches, short, divaricate, usually pendulous, attainig 10-15 m in length. Stems cylindrical, sericeous-tomentose; stipules absent. Leaves opposite, 5-13(18.5) × 3-7.5(9.5) cm, ellipticovate or ovate, coriaceous, the apex shortacuminate, acute, or obtuse, the base rounded or subcordiform, sometimes asymmetrical, the margins entire or remotely sinuate; upper surface puberulent, dark green, dull; lower surface whitetomentose, with the venation quite prominent; petioles 5-13 mm long, lanate-tomentose. Inflorescences at the end of the short lateral branches, forming an inflorescence with a marked transition from leaves to bracts; bracts at the base of the branches of the inflorescence ca. 1 cm long, elliptical; axes lanate-tomentose, glabrescent; bracts of the involucre 3(4), expanded or reflexed, connate at the base, 2.3-4 × 0.8-1.4 cm, elliptical or oblong, pink or lilac toward the apex, green at the base, white-tomentose, with prominent venation. Flowers sessile, in groups of (5)7(9). Calyx infundibuliform, 5-7 mm long, light green, white-lanate-tomentose; corolla tubular, bilabiate, slightly longer than the calyx, white, glabrous, the upper lobes oblong, ca. 3 mm long, the basal lobes shorter and rounded; filaments longexserted, reddish brown or purple; ovary obovoid, glabrous, the style as long as the filaments. Fruit unknown.
Phenology: Collected in flower from January to March.
Status: Exotic, cultivated and naturalized, although not very common.
Selected Specimens Examined: Acevedo-Rdgz., P. 7121; 9460.
Habit: Climbing shrub
Congea tomentosa var. oblongifolia Schauer.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | eFloras.org Copyright © Missouri Botanical Garden |
Source | http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200019359 |
Mixed forests; 600-1200 m.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | eFloras.org Copyright © Missouri Botanical Garden |
Source | http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200019359 |
Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 1
Specimens with Barcodes: 1
Species With Barcodes: 1
Climbing shrub, to 4 m. Leaves ovate; apex acuminate. Cymes 5-9-flowered; each surrounded by 3 white, pink or lilac, hairy, involucral bracts which are rounded or emarginate at the apex. Corolla white.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings, Flora of Zimbabwe |
Source | http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/cult/species.php?species_id=165170 |
Congea tomentosa is a large tropical evergreen vine, commonly referred to as Wooly Congea, Shower Orchid, or Shower of Orchid. (Despite the name, it is not closely related to orchids). It is called lluvia de orquideas or terciopelo in Spanish, krua on in Thai, and rong bao teng in Chinese. Native to Myanmar and Thailand, it can be found elsewhere in South Asia, including Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia (Kedah), China (Yunnan), Bangladesh, and India (Assam, Manipur, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal). Its native habitat is mixed forests 600–1200 meters above sea level.[1][2]
This tropical vine has been naturalized elsewhere, including the islands of the Caribbean, southern Florida, and southern California. In the United States, Wooly Congea can be grown outdoors in USDA zones 10 and 11. It does not tolerate frost.
The plant can grow to 3–5 meters (10–16 feet) in cultivation and even larger in its native state. The stems, leaves and bracts are covered with fine, downy hairs. The leaves are light green in color, 6-8 inches (15.2-20.3 centimeters) long, and quite attractive. They are evergreen with prominent veins and are arranged in opposite pairs. The actual flowers are tiny and inconspicuous, but they are borne in the center of three showy white or violet 1 inch (2.5 centimeter) long bracts that look like velvety propellers. Wooly Congea blooms in late winter to spring. From late winter to spring it produces sprays of white flowers backed by bracts. The bracts gradually change through pink, lavender, and finally gray over the course of several weeks.
Cultivation[edit]
It can be grown as a trailing or climbing vine, or pruned as a shrub. In frost-prone climates, it is grown in a warm greenhouse or conservatory. One should use a soil-based potting compost, provide maximum light but shade from direct sun, provide supports for the stems, and prune after flowering to contain the plant. Outdoors, it should be grown in moisture-retentive, fertile soil in full sun. It can be propagated from seed or semi-ripe cuttings and provided with bottom heat for both. Wooly Congea is easy to grow in almost any soil type. It should be watered regularly.
Uses[edit]
Whole branches with their flowering clusters are useful in cut flower arrangements.
References[edit]
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Wikipedia |
Source | http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Congea_tomentosa&oldid=626961193 |
tomentosa: tomentose, densely woolly
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings, Flora of Zimbabwe |
Source | http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/cult/species.php?species_id=165170 |
"Notes: Western Ghats, Evergreen Forests, Cultivated, Native of Indo - Chinese Region"