Hi! I am new here and have been browsing like crazy, learning quite a bit in the process. I recently started working at a greenhouse/nursery in Oklahoma, and I am about to go broke with all of my purchases I've made. One purchase I made was this beautiful plant that no one seems to know what it is. The owner of the greenhouse told me it was an "Indian Rhododendron" but all of my searches for that have come up with plants that look nothing like this beauty. Here is the pic: http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=60716&stc=1&d=1242570622 The foliage is fuzzy and somewhat rough in texture. The blooms start out as very hot pink and open to the wonderful vibrant purple. It gets what almost looks like hips once the bloom has finished. I would be so happy if someone could identify this beauty for me. I need to know so that I can report back to the greenhouse, as we took cuttings from it before I brought it home. Also, I don't want to kill it!! I want this plant to flourish. Thanks for any help.
Tibouchina, of the variety called Mayflowers (Flor de Mayo) here in Ecuador. If you give it part shade, put it in soil with fast drainage (at least 50% coir or similar), and water it when the soils seem dry, it will grow and produce flowers all through your season. It's frost-tender, though, so bring it in for the winter. That particular variety is a weed species within its native range, so be cautious of the seedpods (the "hips") - if you don't want it all through your garden, deadhead the flowers and don't let the plant produce seed at all.
Wow, you move fast!! Thank you sooo much! I can't wait to get back to work to let them know the mystery is solved. I don't know if I will plant it outdoors though. I really like it as a hanging basket. :) You're the greatest!
Heterocentron elegans is common in cultivation. Here's some others in the same family(Melastomataceae).... http://www.diversityoflife.org/taxpage/0/160/239/family/Melastomataceae.html
