Escallonia Rubra (8674697936) on:
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''Escallonia rubra'', called redclaws and red escallonia, is a species in the family Escalloniaceae which is native to southern Chile and neighboring areas of Argentina.
''Escallonia rubra'' is a spreading shrub usually 0.8 to 1.0m tall, but can reach a height of 3.6m. It features glossy, elliptical, serrate evergreen leaves. The upper side is glossy and dark green, while the lower side is much lighter. The bark is first red and rough-haired, which later turns brown and dotted, and eventually gray and cracked. The buds are scattered and oval with finely serrated edge on the outer half. The root system is stringy and somewhat weak in the first years. Later, strong main roots are formed, which lie high in the ground.
The pink to crimson trumpet-shaped flowers bloom in July to October in the Northern Hemisphere. The prominent, maroon to red
Description
''Escallonia rubra'' is a spreading shrub usually 0.8 to 1.0m tall, but can reach a height of 3.6m. It features glossy, elliptical, serrate evergreen leaves. The upper side is glossy and dark green, while the lower side is much lighter. The bark is first red and rough-haired, which later turns brown and dotted, and eventually gray and cracked. The buds are scattered and oval with finely serrated edge on the outer half. The root system is stringy and somewhat weak in the first years. Later, strong main roots are formed, which lie high in the ground.
The pink to crimson trumpet-shaped flowers bloom in July to October in the Northern Hemisphere. The prominent, maroon to red hypanthia
In angiosperms, a hypanthium or floral cup is a structure where basal portions of the calyx, the corolla, and the stamens form a cup-shaped tube. It is sometimes called a floral tube, a term that is also used for corolla tube and calyx tube. It ...
are campanulate with acute apices, leading to the common name redclaws. The flowers sit in short clusters from the leaf corners. The petal
Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...
s are fused into a short tube. The fruits are capsules.
Occurrence
The shrub occurs on the slopes of theAndes Mountains
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the List of mountain ranges#Mountain ranges by length, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range i ...
in southern Chile and Argentina all the way down to Tierra del Fuego, where it grows in scrub and open forest, among other biomes.
Cultivation
Cultivated as a garden and hedging plant, it has become naturalized in western Europe, Oregon in the United States, and New Zealand, and is considered invasive in places. It is grown in many other areas, such as Australia. Its cultivar 'Crimson Spire' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society'sAward of Garden Merit
The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions.
History
The Award of Garden Merit ...
.
Varieties
A number of varieties have been described, some of which may still be accepted, depending on the authority. *''E. rubra'' var. ''albiflora'' Hosseus *''E. rubra'' var. ''albiflora'' Poepp. & Endl. *''E. rubra'' var. ''dumetorum'' (Phil.) Acevedo & Kausel *''E. rubra'' var. ''glutinosa'' Reiche *''E. rubra'' var. ''macrantha'' Reiche *''E. rubra'' var. ''thalassica'' KauselReferences
{{Taxonbar, from=Q12334111 rubra Flora of southern South America Plants described in 1805