Biology:Warszewiczia coccinea

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Short description: Species of plant

Warszewiczia coccinea
Chaconia UWI 2005b.jpg
Double chaconia at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Rubiaceae
Genus: Warszewiczia
Species:
W. coccinea
Binomial name
Warszewiczia coccinea
(Vahl) Klotzsch, 1853

Warszewiczia coccinea (or chaconia, wild poinsettia and pride of Trinidad and Tobago) is a species of flowering plant in the family Rubiaceae. It is the national flower of Trinidad and Tobago because it blooms on 31 August, which coincides with the day that Trinidad and Tobago became independent from the United Kingdom .

This small, evergreen ornamental tree is remarkable for its inflorescence with bright red bracts and inconspicuous yellow petals.

The anise-odored roots are said to exhibit aphrodisiac properties.

A cultivar, the double chaconia, which has a double row of bracts, is the more widely cultivated form. This plant originates from cuttings taken from a wild plant found growing along a roadside. Since propagation from seed has not yet been successful, all double chaconias have been propagated by cuttings from this individual.

References

External links

Wikidata ☰ Q5234596 entry