HEIGHT up to 16 ft (5 m)TYPE Evergreen
OCCURRENCE Brazil
Widely cultivated in warm regions for its showy flowers that bloom for most of the year and its velvety foliage, this tree is a popular ornamental. BARK Pale brown, thin. LEAF Opposite, lanceolate-ovate, dark green, often with red edges, and 3–5 prominent veins. FLOWER Purple blossoms, 5 in (12.5 cm) wide, with hooked stamens, held in terminal panicles above foliage. FRUIT Dry, hard brown capsule.
