Brownea grandiceps
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Rose of Venezuela | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Illustration from a book by Charles Antoine Lemaire | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Genus: | Brownea |
| Species: | B. grandiceps |
| Binomial name | |
| Brownea grandiceps Jacq.[2] | |
Brownea grandiceps is a species of tree in the family Fabaceae. Its common names include the rose of Venezuela and the scarlet flame bean. It originated in South America but is now widely grown as a decorative tree in tropical gardens.
The rose of Venezuela is a small, slow-growing tree with stout branches eventually reaching about 6 metres (20 ft). The trunk has greyish-brown, lightly furrowed bark. The shoots and leaf stalks are downy. The leaves are opposite, elongated and pinnate with twelve to eighteen pairs of oblong or lanceolate leaflets ending in a bristle-like point. When they first unfold, the drooping leaves are pale green with tiny pink and cream dots, but as they mature they become brownish-pink and eventually a uniform shade of green. The globular inflorescences contain numerous crimson, red, deep pink or purple tubular flowers, each with projecting stamens and style. The flower heads can be up to 20 centimetres (7.9 in) in diameter and usually dangle below the foliage. The seeds are contained in bunches of long, brown, furry pods.[3][4][5]