Duranta repens/ Duranta erecta (Sky flower)

[M Farooq]

Botanical Name	Duranta erecta/ Duranta repens
Family	Verbenaceae
Genus	Duranta
Specie	erecta
Local Name in Urdu	Not a local plant
Common Name	Sky flower, Golden dewdrops
Life Cycle	Evergreen tropical plant
Cultivar Name	Duranta erecta "Variegata" or "Alba"
Fragrant or Not	Mild fragrance that is remeniscent of candies
Category(Bush/Vine/Tree)	Tree, can be trained as a hedge
Height	Up to 15-25 ft if allowed to grow
Spacing	4-5 ft, should be grown closely for hedges
Flowering Months	Summer to early winter
Flower Color	Blue, to light purple
Growing Areas	Through out Pakistan
Frost Tender	May tolerate cold periods
Exposure	Prefers full sun
Soil pH	Slightly acidic soil pH 5-6
Propagation	Seeds, stem cuttings, air layering
Uses	Foliage, Ornamental flowers and seeds
Other Details	Duranta is a unique flower in the sense that everything associated with it is beautiful. The foliage comes in various shades of green from light yellowish green to deep green. The flowers are pale blue to purple in colour with dark streaks on 2-3 petals and a cream coloured center which is called the cream "eye" of Duranta. The fragrance is mild but it reminds you of candies. The orange coloured fruits, which appear as a string of beads look very attractive on dark green foliage. The seeds often persist in the winter as well. One can train Duranta as a hedge or as a tree with a single trunk. Some Durantas have spines. The plant is attactive to bees, birds and unwanted wasp/ hornets (I have been stung couple of times) so be carfeul before you prune dense hedges of this plant. The "Alba" variety has pure white flowers - although not as common as the blue flower. The "Variegata" has variegated leaves. Images from Javed Ashraf's collection

[jdashraf]

Thx for details..

[Ifrah]

Thanks a bunch!

[Sharjeel39]

Can we grow this flower in Karachi, and from where can I get it as the posts says that this flower is not locally available.

[Izhar]

One of the most common plant used in border hedges..

[M Farooq]

Can we grow this flower in Karachi, and from where can I get it as the posts says that this flower is not locally available.

Sharjeel, it is a very common and (economical) plant as Izhar bhai has said. By "not a local plant", it was meant that it is not native plant of Pakistan i.e. it naturally grows in South America and West Indies.

http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx? ... =200019360