
Name
Family Name | |
Genus Epithet | |
Species Epithet | |
Name Authority | |
Name Status (botanical) | |
Comments |
Classifications and Characteristics
Plant Division | Angiosperms (Flowering Seed Plants) (Monocotyledon) |
Plant Growth Form | Shrub (Herbaceous) |
Lifespan (in Singapore) | Annual |
Mode of Nutrition | Autotrophic |
Biogeography
Native Distribution | Brazil, Venezuela and Peru. |
Native Habitat | Terrestrial |
Local Conservation Status | Exotic (Horticultural / Cultivated Only) |
Description and Ethnobotany
Growth Form | A herbaceous shrub with a clumping growth form. |
Foliage | The leaves are long, narrow and erect. The length of the leaf blade is approximately 3 feet long and are spineless. The upper leaf surface is green, turning bronze-red under full sun while the lower leaf surface is grey-green. |
Flowers | The bisexual flowers are borne on a spike which is borne on floral scape which is covered with a thin white tomentum. The flowers are surrounded by pink bracts and have purplish white petals. |
Fruits | The fibrous fruit is a syncarp (an aggregate fruit), is red in colour and is not edible. |
Habitat | It is found in hot, humis forests at altitudes of approximately 180 to 490m. |
Landscaping Features
Desirable Plant Features | Ornamental Fruits, Ornamental Form |
Plant & Rootzone Preference - Tolerance | Well-Drained Soils |
Landscape Uses | Parks & Gardens, Small Gardens, Flowerbed / Border, Container Planting |
Plant Care and Propagation
Light Preference | Full Sun, Semi-Shade |
Water Preference | Moderate Water |
Foliar
Foliage Retention | Evergreen |
Mature Foliage Colour(s) | Green, Red |
Mature Foliage Texture(s) | Smooth |
Foliar Type | Simple / Unifoliate |
Foliar Arrangement Along Stem | Rosulate / Rosette |
Foliar Attachment to Stem | Sessile |
Foliar Shape(s) | Non-Palm Foliage (Lanceolate) |
Foliar Margin | Entire |
Foliar Apex - Tip | Acute |
Floral (Angiosperm)
Flower & Plant Sexuality 1 | Bisexual Flowers |
Flower Colour(s) | Purple, White |
Flower Grouping | Cluster / Inflorescence |
Flower Location | Terminal |
Inflorescence Type | Spike |
Fruit, Seed and Spore
Mature Fruit Colour(s) - Angiosperms and Gymnosperms | Red |
Mature Fruit Texture(s) | Bumpy / Tuberculate |
Fruit Classification | Aggregate Fruit (Syncarp) |
Fruit Type 1 | Fleshy Fruit |
Image Repository
Images |
Others
Master ID | 31594 |
Species ID | 5993 |
Flora Disclaimer | The information in this website has been compiled from reliable sources, such as reference works on medicinal plants. It is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment and NParks does not purport to provide any medical advice. Readers should always consult his/her physician before using or consuming a plant for medicinal purposes. |