Oxypetalum coeruleum - Tweedia.
Oxypetalum coeruleum syn Tweedia caerulea
This lovely blue flowered plant we all know as Tweedia is botanically known as Oxypetalum coeruleum. It was originally included in the genus Tweedia it now has its own genus Oxypetalum and is the only species in this genus. There appear to be a number of misspellings of the specie name coeruleum, meaning dark blue in reference to its flower colour. It is native to Brazil and Uruguay.
It is grown for its lovely clear pale blue, star-shaped, summer flowers, which are long lasting. The young blue flowers are pale blue slightly tinged green them turn a purplish colour before finally turning lilac. Some flowers may have specs of purple in the petals.
The flowers are followed by followed by long, boat-shaped seed pods which swell and as they ripen and then finally burst open showing large seeds attached to as soft silky parachute to aid wind dispersal of the seed.
In cultivation it can be neat or a straggling perennial with oblong heart shaped, gray-green, downy leaves and stems. Generally though it is quite a neat perennial up to about 400mm high.
The cultivar 'Alba' has white flowers, while 'Rosea' has pink flowers which in my experience has thinner petals and is not as nice. I have not seen the white flowered form. I note that some seed companies are selling seed giving a cultivar name as well but that should only happen it the plants come true form seed.
It requires full sun in a dry well-drained soil.
With a minimum temperature range of 3–5 °C, it can be grown outdoors in a frost-free, sheltered environment. In Christchurch in a sheltered dry part of the garden it will grow as a perennial. Alternatively it can be grown as an annual or let it self-seed in the garden.
Oxypetalum coeruleum syn Tweedia caerulea or Tweedia as we know it is a great plant for those hot dry places and produces fantastic blue flowers.
For more images go to my Pinterest page Oxypetaum coeruleum. Includes one photo of the white flowered form.
This lovely blue flowered plant we all know as Tweedia is botanically known as Oxypetalum coeruleum. It was originally included in the genus Tweedia it now has its own genus Oxypetalum and is the only species in this genus. There appear to be a number of misspellings of the specie name coeruleum, meaning dark blue in reference to its flower colour. It is native to Brazil and Uruguay.
It is grown for its lovely clear pale blue, star-shaped, summer flowers, which are long lasting. The young blue flowers are pale blue slightly tinged green them turn a purplish colour before finally turning lilac. Some flowers may have specs of purple in the petals.
The flowers are followed by followed by long, boat-shaped seed pods which swell and as they ripen and then finally burst open showing large seeds attached to as soft silky parachute to aid wind dispersal of the seed.
In cultivation it can be neat or a straggling perennial with oblong heart shaped, gray-green, downy leaves and stems. Generally though it is quite a neat perennial up to about 400mm high.
The cultivar 'Alba' has white flowers, while 'Rosea' has pink flowers which in my experience has thinner petals and is not as nice. I have not seen the white flowered form. I note that some seed companies are selling seed giving a cultivar name as well but that should only happen it the plants come true form seed.
It requires full sun in a dry well-drained soil.
With a minimum temperature range of 3–5 °C, it can be grown outdoors in a frost-free, sheltered environment. In Christchurch in a sheltered dry part of the garden it will grow as a perennial. Alternatively it can be grown as an annual or let it self-seed in the garden.
Oxypetalum coeruleum syn Tweedia caerulea or Tweedia as we know it is a great plant for those hot dry places and produces fantastic blue flowers.
For more images go to my Pinterest page Oxypetaum coeruleum. Includes one photo of the white flowered form.