Summary
Thunbergia grandiflora is an evergreen vine in the family Acanthaceae.[3] It is native to China, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Indochina and Myanmar and widely naturalised elsewhere.[2][4] Common names include Bengal clockvine, Bengal trumpet, blue skyflower, blue thunbergia, blue trumpetvine, clockvine, skyflower and skyvine.[4]
| Thunbergia grandiflora | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Acanthaceae |
| Genus: | Thunbergia |
| Species: | T. grandiflora
|
| Binomial name | |
| Thunbergia grandiflora | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
|
List
| |
Description edit
Plants may grow to about 20 metres in height and have a long root system with a deep tap root, that can be as large as a small car.[3] The stalked, opposite leaves, which have a rough surface, are quite variable in shape. They may be triangular or ovate and the margins may be toothed, lobed or entire. Length is up to 200 mm and width is up to 60 mm,[3] which are typically smaller than the very similar T. laurifolia.
The blue to mauve flowers are about 8 cm across with a 4 cm long tube that is pale yellow inside.[3] These are followed by pods containing seeds that are ejected several metres upon ripening. Plants also reproduce from segments that are washed down watercourses.[3]
Cultivation edit
With a minimum temperature of 10–13 °C (50–55 °F), this plant is cultivated as a houseplant in temperate regions,[5] and has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[6][7]
The species has become a serious environmental weed in Australia on disturbed land along watercourses and in the wet tropics where it smothers other vegetation. It is commonly seen north of Sydney where it has been cultivated for many years.[3]
Gallery edit
References edit
- ^ "Thunbergia grandiflora". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government, Canberra. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
- ^ a b "Thunbergia grandiflora Roxb". Plants of the World Online.
- ^ a b c d e f "Thunbergia grandiflora". Weeds Australia - Profiles. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
- ^ a b "Thunbergia grandiflora". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
- ^ RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 978-1405332965.
- ^ "RHS Plant Selector - Thunbergia grandiflora". RHS. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 102. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
External links edit
- Illustration and description in "The Botanical Register: Consisting of Coloured Figures of Exotic Plants Cultivated in British Gardens; with Their History and Mode of Treatment" (1820); plate 495