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Iochroma


Iochroma fuchsioides


Plant Characteristics
Cultivation
Features: ✓ flowers
Flower features: ❀ red
Scientific Names

Solanaceae >

Iochroma >

Benth. >


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Iochroma is a genus of about 24 species of shrubs and small trees found in the forests of South America. They range from Colombia to Argentina or when certain species are excluded (see below) from Colombia to Peru. Their hummingbird pollinated flowers are tubular or trumpet-shaped, and may be blue, purple, red, yellow, or white, becoming pulpy berries. The cupular calyx is inflated in some species. The leaves are alternate, simple, and entire.

Iochromas are cultivated as flowering ornamentals and in cooler zones (zones 7-8/9) make useful patio shrubs for summer display or conservatory plants. The majority are not frost hardy and must be overwintered under protection. In warmer zones (zones 9-10) they can be used as landscape plants. They are commonly trained as standards (topiary) to control their size and shape. Iochroma flowers attract hummingbirds (Americas only) and bees to gardens.


Read about Iochroma in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture 

Iochroma (Greek, violet-colored). Solanaceae. Flowering shrubs cultivated outdoors in California and under glass in Europe.

In the wild, shrubs or small trees; spineless, glabrous or mostly stellate-tomentose: lvs. entire, often large: fls. purple, blue, scarlet, yellow or white, in clusters or on twin pedicels; corolla long-tubular or narrow- trumpet-shaped, with 5 short or very small lobes, the throat more or less closed by appendages or folds; stamens inserted in the tube, included or exserted; disk present or absent; ovary 2-celled: fr. a pulpy berry.—Species about 20, mostly in W. Trop. S. Amer.


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Cultivation

Propagation

Pests and diseases

Varieties

The family Solanaceae is further divided into subfamilies, tribes and subtribes. Iochroma is in the subtribe Iochrominae along with the genera Acnistus, Dunalia, Eriolarynx, Saracha, and Vassobia.

Species

The genus Iochroma is not completely known. Several of the species listed here are known to have resulted from hybridisation in the wild and there is extensive synonymy which is not recorded here. Recent research indicates that some of the species listed here are not Iochroma (see notes) although changes in nomenclature have not formally been published. There are also known to be undescribed species.

The genus is currently divided into 3 sections.

Section Iochroma

Section Lehmannia

Section Spinosa

Notes:

Iochroma australe is not an Iochroma but an Eriolarynx. Occurring in Bolivia and Argentina this is the southernmost species of Iochroma and its removal from the genus affects the geographic range as indicated above.

Iochroma cardenasianum is not an Iochroma and not a member of the tribe Physaleae (incl. subtribe Iochrominae) but the tribe Datureae.

Iochroma parviflorum is not an Iochroma but a Dunalia.

Iochromas as ornamentals

Several forms of Iochroma (some wild collected, some garden hybrids) have been given cultivar names. Some of the cultivars have been assigned to species but others, mainly hybrids, have not. There may be some synonymy in this list.

  • Iochroma australe ‘Andean Snow’
  • Iochroma australe ‘Bill Evans’
  • Iochroma australe ‘Sunrise’
  • Iochroma calycinum ‘Vlasta’s Surprise’
  • Iochroma cyaneum ‘Album’
  • Iochroma cyaneum ‘Apricot Belle’
  • Iochroma cyaneum ‘Indigo’
  • Iochroma cyaneum ‘Karl Hartweg’
  • Iochroma cyaneum ‘John Miers’
  • Iochroma cyaneum ‘Royal Blue’,
  • Iochroma cyaneum 'Royal Queen' = I. cyaneum 'Indigo'
  • Iochroma cyaneum ‘Sky King’,
  • Iochroma cyaneum ‘Trebah’
  • Iochroma cyaneum ‘Woodcote White’
  • Iochroma gesnerioides ‘Coccineum’
  • Iochroma gesnerioides var. flavum
  • Iochroma ‘Ashcott Red’
  • Iochroma ‘Burgundy Bells’
  • Iochroma ‘Frosty Plum’
  • Iochroma ‘Ilie’s Plum’
  • Iochroma ‘Plum Beauty’
  • Iochroma ‘Plum Delight’
  • Iochroma ‘Purple Haze’
  • Iochroma 'Ruby Red' (I. cyaneum 'Royal Blue' x I. 'Sunset')
  • Iochroma ‘Sunset’
  • Iochroma ‘Wine Red’

Gallery

  • photo 1

  • photo 2

  • photo 3

References

External links


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