Family: Euphorbiaceae
Common name: Purple wings, Silk crepe flower, Butterfly purple wings, Bella Abanquina, Bowtie vine, Costa Rican Butterfly Vine
Purple wings is a rare tropical vine that can transform your garden with their purple butterfly wing flowers and broad green leaves. They are native to tropical Central and South America, but can grow well in other tropical countries as well.
Plant characteristics
Purple wing plants can reach a height of 2-3 meters with long twining stems that can climb on trellises, fences, walls, or surrounding vegetation. Stem is brown and woody towards the bottom, and green at the ends.
Leaves are green, heart-shaped with a rough texture. The stem and leaves produce a white sap which can irritate the skin and even cause dermatitis. Purple wings plants can also be toxic to animals and humans, though there is no verified study conducted on the same.
Flowers are eye-catching, though it is the bracts and not the actual flowers that are prominent, like in Bougainvillea and Poinsettia. The name Purple wings comes from 2 beautiful, delicate, wing-like bracts that extend in opposite directions, with the actual flowers in the center.
These bracts have serrated margins, and are usually pink, purple or red, providing a contrast to the bright green foliage. The actual flowers have male and female flowers – the male flowers a pale yellow, and female flowers reddish brown in color. The flowers and bracts together are 4-6 cm in diameter.
Purple wing plants also produce small seed capsules that are about 1 cm in diameter, which split open on maturity to release the seeds. But these fruits are not usually seen in garden plants, probably due to the lack of pollinating species.
Gardening Tips
Purple wing plants are easy to grow, and require very little maintenance. They prefer partial or filtered sunlight. Watering is required only when the soil is dry since waterlogging can lead to root rot.
Fertilize once in 2-3 months for better growth and flowering. Pruning is needed only when the plant goes out of control, climbing on to other plants and smothering them.
The name Dalechampia comes from a French physician and writer Jacobus Dalechampius.
Propagation
Propagation is through seeds or stem cuttings. Take semi-hard stem cuttings that are 20-30 cm long from the parent plant, and plant them in well-drained soil after dipping the base in a rooting hormone to encourage faster rooting.
Photographed at: Toronto, Canada
