Princess Flower

Common name: Princess Flower, glory bush, purple glory bush
Botanical name: Tibouchina urvilleana Family: Melastomataceae (Melastome family)
Synonyms: Tibouchina maudhiana, Tibouchina semidecandra, Lasiandra semidecandra

Princess Flower is an evergreen shrub bearing big beautiful bluish purple flowers. Slender stems are somewhat vinelike and grow to about 15 ft. The plant rather spreads around to form 10-12 ft mounds unless pruned into more compact shapes. The simple leaves are velvety green and often tinged with red and are lighter on the undersides. They are large and coarse and 2-4 inches long and 1-1.5 inches wide with 3-5 midribs running the length, typical of the Melastome family. Princess flower blooms heavily in summer and sporadically throughout the year. The brilliant purple flowers are 3 inches in diameter and so vividly colored they appear fluorescent. Princess Flower is native to Brazil, and grown as a garden plant throughout the world.