Scientific Name
Other Names
Life Form
Family
Ornamental - It is popular as a flowering shrub for gardens and containers due to its attractive, color-changing blooms and long flowering season.
Brazil
It grows in light woodlands and thickets of subtropical areas.
Renowned for its fragrant, colour-changing flowers, that transition over three days, giving rise to its name.
It is an evergreen shrub, 0.5-3 m tall, bushy with moderate branching.
Stems are woody and branching, with smooth, light brown bark that may develop slight fissures with age. The branching pattern is irregular, with stems growing somewhat upright or spreading outwards.
Leaves are glossy, dark green above and a lighter green below. They are elliptical to oblong in shape, with smooth margins and a pointed tip. Leaves are typically 5-10 cm long and 2-4 cm wide, arranged oppositely along the stems.
Flowers are fragrant and trumpet-shaped, with five petals that are fused at the base. They bloom throughout the year in warm climates, but more frequently in spring and summer. The flower color changes over time, starting as a deep purple or violet, then fading to shades of blue or lilac, and finally turning white as the flower ages.
Fruit is a globose (round) berry, about 1-2 cm in diameter. It matures from green to a glossy black color and contains numerous tiny seeds.
Flowering: Typically occurs in March and July, however, it can flower throughout the year.