Pleroma urvilleana

Pleroma urvilleana

Archive entry 12.10.08

	A rather twiggy shrubby species from Brazil. For a long time it has been grown as a greenhouse shrub, and always looks best where it gets winter protection, but it has proved to be fairly hardy in the milder parts of the south west (a friend at the bottom of the hill grows it in a pot on her terrace). My plant was a cutting earlier in the spring and it is wintering in a cold greenhouse - if it survives then I will look for a dry sunny place outside to see if it still prospers. Plants of the World online has split the genus up and this, which was once Tibouchina urvilleana, is now Pleroma urvilleana. They say: "The native range of this species is Brazil (São Paulo to Rio Grande do Sul). It is a shrub or tree and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome. It is has environmental uses." Although Tibouchina urvilleana has been moved to Pleroma urvilleana in the abstract, the actual identity of this plant in cultivation remains open to question.
1981

However, despite some questions over the proper identity of this plant, we are all growing the same thing and most of us have labelled it Pleroma/Tiboucina urvilleana. Exotic Earth Plants say:

"Tibouchina urvilleana, commonly known as the princess flower or glory bush, is a beautiful evergreen shrub native to Brazil. It is highly valued for its striking, deep violet-purple flowers and soft, velvety leaves.
Appearance: A large, sprawling shrub that can be trained into a small tree. It typically grows to 6–8 feet tall but can reach 15 feet or more in ideal conditions. The leaves are ovate, dark green, and covered in fine hairs, giving them a soft texture. The flowers are large, saucer-shaped, and a vibrant purple, with prominent blackish or purple stamens.
Flowering: It is a year-round bloomer in tropical climates, but in temperate zones, it typically flowers from late summer through fall until the first frost.
Hardiness: This is a tropical plant and is sensitive to frost. It is winter hardy in USDA zones 9 to 11. In cooler climates, it is best grown in a container and brought indoors during the winter."


12th October 2008	7th November 2008	4th December 2008

References:

Plants of the World online, https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77206410-1 , accessed 06.01.2026.

Exotic Earth Plants, https://www.exoticearthplants.co.uk/product-page/tibouchina-urvilleana-1 , accessed 06.01.2026.