Congea tomentosa

Name and publication

Congea tomentosa Roxb., Pl. Corom. 3: 90 (1819).

Description

Called “orchid flowers” in the potpourri trade, the 3 or 4 involucral bracts are pale purple (in the native state), oblong, obovate-oblong, or broadly elliptic, 2-3 cm long x 0.8-1.2 cm wide, pubescent. The calyx is funnelform, about 7 mm long, lobes 1/2 as long as tube, outside densely pilose, inside pubescent.

Nativity and distribution

Congea tomentosa is native to Bangladesh, China, India, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Family

Verbenaceae, also placed in Symphoremataceae