Blakea gracilis

• 2 Nov, 2011
• 3 likes

This is my 12 year old Blakea gracilis which I purchased from Kartuz Greenhouses and is only 5ft/1.5m tall. It's a very rare plant in California, and everywhere in the U.S. for that matter. It's a beautiful little tropical flowering shrub which is native to Costa Rica. It's in the Melastomaceae family, which consist of many interesting genera such as: Tibouchina, Medinilla, Melastoma, and Miconia. It blooms in mid-winter and has been growing well in my front yard for 8 years.