HONCKENYA FICIFOUA 
Honckenya — after G. A. Honckeny, 1724-1805, a German 
botanist ; Jrcifolia— fig-leaved . 
English name: Honckenya. 
Family : 
Tiliaceae. 
Country oj origin : tropical Africa. 
Colour: branches purplish, flowers 
blue-violet or white. 
Garden use : a fast growing, rather tall bush, 
flowering continuously. May 
be pruned or cut hard back. 
Propagation: by seeds, which are freely 
produced, or cuttings. 
The flowers have four or five narrow, coloured 
sepals, four or five broad petals, eight to ten 
unequal, white stamens, which are very slender 
but quite stiff, a large number of infertile stamens 
which are slightly club-shaped with yellow tips, 
very slender and kept moving by the slightest 
breath of air, and a green, superior ovary with a 
white stigma of several radiating arms. The 
capsule is covered with hairy bristles and splits 
open into several narrow valves, releasing numer- 
ous flattened seeds. 
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