''Congea tomentosa'' is a large tropical evergreen vine, commonly referred to as wooly congea, shower orchid, or shower of orchid. (Despite the name, it is not closely related to orchids). It is called ''lluvia de orquideas'' or ''terciopelo'' in
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
, ''krua on'' in
Thai, and ''rong bao teng'' in
Chinese
Chinese may refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China.
**'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
. Native to
Myanmar
Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...
and
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
, it can be found elsewhere in South Asia, including
Laos
Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...
,
Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
,
Malaysia
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
(
Kedah
Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman (Islam), Aman (دار الأمان; Arabic for 'The Safe Abode') and historically as Queda, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of ...
),
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
(
Yunnan
Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...
), Bangladesh, and India (
Assam
Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...
,
Manipur
Manipur () is a state in northeastern India with Imphal as its capital. It borders the Indian states of Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north and shares the international border with Myanmar, specifically t ...
,
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
, and
West Bengal
West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
). Its native habitat is mixed forests 600–1200 meters above sea level.
/ref>
This tropical vine has been naturalized elsewhere, including the islands of the Caribbean, southern Florida, and southern California. In the United States, wooly congea can be grown outdoors in USDA zones
A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most widely ...
10 and 11. It does not tolerate frost.
The plant can grow to in cultivation and even larger in its native state. The stems, leaves and bracts are covered with fine, downy hairs. The leaves are light green in color, long, and quite attractive. They are evergreen with prominent veins and are arranged in opposite pairs. The actual flowers are tiny and inconspicuous, borne in the center of three showy white or violet long bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale.
Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also lo ...
s that look like velvety propellers. From late winter to spring it produces sprays of showy flowers. The bracts gradually change color through pink, lavender, and finally grey over the course of several weeks.
Cultivation
It can be grown as a trailing or climbing vine, or pruned as a shrub. In frost-prone climates, it is grown in a warm greenhouse or conservatory. One should use a soil-based potting compost, provide maximum light but shade from direct sun, provide supports for the stems, and prune after flowering to contain the plant. Outdoors, it should be grown in moisture-retentive, fertile soil in full sun. It can be propagated from seed or semi-ripe cuttings and provided with bottom heat for both. The plant is easy to grow in almost any soil type. It should be watered regularly.
Uses and gallery
Whole branches with their flowering clusters are useful in cut flower arrangements.
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References
External links
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{{Taxonbar, from=Q5160399
Lamiaceae
Flora of Asia
Flora of Indo-China
Plants described in 1820
Garden plants
Lamiales of Asia