IF purple is your favourite colour or if you are looking to colour your garden with shades other than green, then the Saritaea magnifica, a single sole species in the genus Saritaea belonging to the Bignoniaceae family will be a wonderful option. It’s a natural climber that produces repeated blooms with masses of large and showy light purple flowers.
The flowers peek above the foliage and are indeed beautiful, a delight to the eyes. The epithet magnifica is derived from the Latin word meaning “magnificent”.
The family (Bignoniaceae) that this plant originates from houses more than 800 other species of flowering vines and trees sub-divided into slightly more than 100 genera. Fun fact: It was named by Columbian botanist Armando Dugard in honour of Abbe Jean Paul Bignon, who was the librarian to King Louis XIV of France.
This large family is well-known for their intense blooms and spectacular flowers shaped in lovely trumpets coloured white, blue, orange, pink, purple or yellow. The species range from popular roadside trees that include the Africa tulip tree (Spathodea campanulata), Jacaranda tree (Jacaranda obtusifolia) and Tabebuia tree (Tabebuia rosea). They also include shrubs such as the Yellow Bells (Tecoma stans) and Cape Honeysuckle (Tecoma capensis as well as vines such as the Cat’s Claw vine (Macfadyena unguis-cati) and Garlic vine (Mansoa alliacea).
THE PLANT
The Saritaea magnifica is an ever-flowering perennial and semi-woody liana native to Columbia and Ecuador. However, in Northern Queensland, Australia, it’s known to be an environmental weed. Yet it is widely cultivated as a garden ornamental in the tropics such as in Malaysia.
This vigorous grower climbs by tendrils and can reach heights of up to 6 metres. People find this plant beautiful due to its dense foliage and glowing purple flowers. It even looks good when not in bloom.
The plant sports large, ova-shaped leaves that are interestingly arranged opposite of each other. They are rich dark green with a glossy finish and leathery texture. On each compound leaf, you’ll spot two leaflets of slightly different sizes that measure between 8-12cm long and 4-6cm wide — no larger than the size of your palm.
The trumpet-shaped flowers found on the vines are large too, for it measures about 6cm in diameter. They are borne on flower clusters called cymes and each cyme has about four flowers. Many clusters are produced whole year round and their unique shade of light purple with a yellow-white throat interrupted by long thin purple lines will offer your garden a little splendour. In addition, owners of this plant will be able to relish its mild scent.
Pollination of this flower in its native habitat in tropical America is done by solitary male orchid bees (Euglossa) easily identified by its metallic blue-green bodies. The process forms fruits that look like elongated capsules with two flat winged seeds inside and it splits open when ripe.
HOW TO GROW
It is best grown in the ground. Otherwise, you’ll need a large container or planter box to grow it. You can train it on a trellis, fence or wall. A very strong support is needed. You can also prune it low into a shrub.
The steps:
1. PROPAGATION. You can buy a starter plant from local nurseries or propagate one from seeds or stem cuttings.
2. SUNLIGHT. Full sun to semi-shade
3. MEDIUM. Fertile well-drained soil.
4. WATER. Moderate watering up to twice a day during the dry season. The soil should be moist but not soggy.
5. FERTILISE. Apply a balanced compound fertiliser once a fortnight during vegetative growth. Once established, use a flowering booster to encourage flowering.
6. MAINTENANCE. Prune to shape the plant. Remove spent blooms, withered leaves and branches to encourage new growth and flowering.
7. PEST AND DISEASES. May be prone to fungal disease or attack by scale insects and aphids.
PLANT PROFILE:
Scientific name: Saritaea magnifica
Synonym: Arrabidaea magnifica, Bignonia magnifica
Family: Bignoniaceae (jacaranda family)
Common names: Glow Vine, Purple Funnel Vine, Purple Bignonia, Saritaea Vine.
Its Chinese name is zi ling teng, meaning purple bell vine.
TIPS
Prune and train the vine to eye level so that you can enjoy the floral display. If you let it grow too high, you won’t be able to see the flowers so easily.