Sarmienta
Sarmienta scandens, the Chilean pitcher flower, is a species of flowering plant, and the sole member of its genus within the family Gesneriaceae. It is native to the cool South Chilean rainforest, where it grows as an epiphyte.
Sarmienta | |
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Sarmienta scandens | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Lamiales |
Family: | Gesneriaceae |
Genus: | Sarmienta Ruiz & Pav. |
Species: | S. scandens |
Binomial name | |
Sarmienta scandens (J.D. Brandis ex Molina) Pers. | |
The Latin specific epithet scandens means “climbing”.[1]
Description
Reaching just 10 cm (3.9 in) tall by 50 cm (20 in) broad, it is a creeping evergreen perennial with small oval leaves and pendent scarlet pitcher-shaped flowers in summer.[2]
Cultivation
In temperate regions it is usually grown under glass, either epiphytically or using a specialist potting medium containing leaf mould or sphagnum moss. It may be placed outside during the summer months, in a warm sheltered spot where the temperature does not fall below 5 °C (41 °F).[3] It may however survive brief periods down to 0 °C (32 °F).[2]
The plant is still widely advertised as Sarmienta repens, a name which is now regarded as illegitimate.[4] It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.[3][5]
References
- Harrison, Lorraine (2012). RHS Latin for Gardeners. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. ISBN 184533731X.
- Brickell, Christopher, ed. (2008). The Royal Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 957. ISBN 9781405332965.
- "RHS Plantfinder - Sarmienta repens". Retrieved 31 October 2018.
- "The Gesneriad Web: Sarmienta repens". The Gesneriad Society. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
- "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 95. Retrieved 31 October 2018.