PURPLE GLORY TREE 
“PURPLE GLORY TREE (Tibouchina 
granulosa). Outstanding as a_ winter- 
blooming ornamental tree to 25 feet, cov- 
ering itself for weeks with royal purple 
flowers that fade to red purple or bluish, 
this evergreen Brazilian tree is becoming 
very popular in Florida as a dooryard 
tree. Its handsome foliage alone recom- 
mends it, and the flowers are lovely, be- 
ginning to appear while the plant is still 
small. 
*TWO-COLOR GLORY TREE (Tibou- 
china bicolor var. late). My correspondent 
in Rio who sent the seed, writes of this 
tree which he says is also known as T. 
pulcherrima: “This is one of Brazil’s finest 
flowering trees. It comes in two varieties: 
an early or spring-blooming type, and a 
late or summer-blooming. (I have suc- 
ceeded only with the latter). Both vari- 
eties are a wonderful sight as they load 
up with large flowers of two distinct 
shades—purple and white. Unfortunately 
it is a difficult species to germinate and 
to raise. This tree attains blooming age 
in 4-5 years from seed. You are missing 
something really grand if you overlook 
thisviree.. 
LANGSDORF’S GLORY TREE (T. 
langsdorfi). This was grown from seed 
received from the botanical garden in 
_ Indonesia. I have no description of it. 
45 
*DICHAETANTHERA (D. sp.). Bak- 
ers Flora of Madagascar (the home of 
the Royal Poinciana) says: “The prettiest 
flowers found in the eastern forests be- 
long probably to species of Dichaetan- 
thera.” Elsewhere he says: “Dichaetan- 
thera are forest trees which are very beau- 
tiful when in full bloom.” The 4-petalled 
rose-purple flowers are in loose clusters 6 
inches long and across. If these are the 
prettiest flowers of Madagascar’s forests 
they ought to set Florida on fire. 
PRINCESS FLOWER 
PRINCESS FLOWER. (Pleroma grand- 
iflora. Syn. Tibouchina elegans or T. sem- 
idecandra). This medium-size evergreen 
shrub. has bronzy green, velvety leaves, 
and royal purple flowers, rich and velvety, 
about 3 to 4 inches across. Somewhat 
tender to frost. It has long been grown 
in southern California and to a limited 
extent in Florida. It is one of our showy 
winter-flowering shrubs that blooms when 
only 15 inches high. 
*BRILLIANT MELASTOME (Melas- 
toma septemnervium Syn. M. candidum). 
This erect evergreen shrub from Hong 
Kong, usually 2-4 feet high, bears beauti- 
ful purple-pink 4-inch flowers from March 
