Hi everyone, Am hoping someone at this forum might be able to help ID this plant. I tried looking for information on it online, but it's hard because I don't know its name. My friend's mom found it growing in her garden (in Mauritius) after she returned from a vacation. She's not sure where it came from or what it is because it just kind of sprouted up, grew, then started to flower. There're a few of these at different spots in her garden, some of them have pinkish flowers and others purplish. These pictures were taken early December, at the beginning of summer there. I don't know much more about the plant, hope there's enough information here to help ID it. She's really into gardening and would really love to find out more about the plant. Thanks much!
Check out members of the genus Palicourea, or else I'm right off and it's something from the family Melastomataceae.
Definitely a Medinilla, Medinilla cumingii perhaps?, in the Melastomataceae family as Lorax kindly pointed out.
Hi lorax, lila pereszke and chungii V, thanks much for replying! =) Am not sure if this is the appropriate thread to ask this in, but would you know how to plant a Medinilla? I think my friend's mom tried planting it with the pinkish buds (am not sure what you call them??) but they didn't grow. I tried to check online, but there's very little information I can find about how to plant it.
I have grown these from cutting with average success but the plants were old, woody and very rootbound, really not prime material for propagating off. I think the best success was where the plant stem is at a semi-woody state, it was a few years ago and more a salvage mission rather than normal propagation. Don't try until either Spring or late Summer if you have mild winters. They do best in a sheltered position.
