Scientific Name
Other Names
Life Form
Family
Ornamental - It is often cultivated as a landscape and garden ornamental and as a potted plant for its colourful flowers.
Mexico to Peru
Dry tropical biome.
Evergreen shrub or small tree reaching 2-3 meters tall.
Densely clothed in stellate hairs (star-shaped hairs).
Densely clothed in velvety to tough hairs, ovate to nearly circular, heart-shaped or shallowly 3-lobed. Leaf margins are crenate-serrate (rounded with small teeth). Leaves are 5-15 cm long with stalks 2-12 cm long.
Borne solitary or few in fascicles (clusters) in leaf axils. Petals are scarlet, but a pink cultivar ('Rosea') exists. Flowers are unique, with the five petals partially fused, giving them a hooded or "sleeping" appearance.
Globose capsules, densely covered with hairs, containing small, black seeds.
Flowering: Spring and summer.