iNaturalist Plant Observations - Panama (iNaturalist:Plants-Panama)
Petrea volubilis L.
Verbenaceae
Queen's Wreath
ricardodeycaza
2013-04-27
Panama, Panamá Oeste, San Carlos, Interamerican Road Route 1
8.527629 -79.928851 +-5m.
Native to the West Indies and from Mexico to Panama, Queen’s wreath (or purple wreath) is a fast-growing, twining, woody vine or rounded shrub that produces wisteria-like erect to drooping axillary foot-long racemes of star-like purple flowers (15-30 flowers per raceme) in late spring to early summer. The showy parts of each flower are the 5 narrow petal-like calyx lobes which persist long after the darker purple corollas drop. Oblong-elliptic, dark green leaves (4-9” long) are rough above, hence the sometimes common name of sandpaper vine. In its native habitat, this plant can grow rapidly to 25-40’, but in cultivation is more often seen as a much smaller vine or trained as an espalier or standard. The genus name honors Robert Petre, 18th century English botany patron.