Galphimia gracilis, a species in the genus Galphimia

Galphimia

Galphimia is a genus in the Malpighiaceae, a family of about 75 genera of flowering plants in the order Malpighiales; the name is an anagram of Malpighia. Galphimia comprises 26 species of large herbs, shrubs, and treelets. Twenty-two species occur in Mexico, one extending into Texas and one ...

of the family Malpighiaceae

Malpighiaceae

Malpighiaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Malpighiales. It comprises approximately 75 genera and 1300 species, all of which are native to the tropics and subtropics...

, is native to eastern Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

. It is widely cultivated in warm regions throughout the world, often under the common names gold shower or shower-of-gold or sometimes thryallis. In horticultural publications, in the nursery trade, and on websites, this species is commonly but mistakenly referred to as Galphimia glauca, Galphimia brasiliensis, Thryallis glauca, Thryallis gracilis, or (often in South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

) Thryallis brasiliensis.

Galphimia gracilis is easily told apart from the true G. glauca and G. brasiliensis by the flowers. In G. gracilis the petals fall as the fruit matures; in G. glauca the petals are persistent even in fruit. In G. gracilis many flowers of a dense inflorescence

Inflorescence

An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...

are open at one time, and the petals (claw and limb) are 8–14 mm long and 4–8 mm wide; in G. brasiliensis only 2 or 3 small flowers are open at one time on a sparse inflorescence, and the petals are only 4–5 mm long and ca. 3 mm wide.

External links and reference

• Malpighiaceae Malpighiaceae - description, taxonomy, phylogeny, and nomenclature
• Galphimia
• Thryallis
• Anderson, C. 2007. Revision of Galphimia (Malpighiaceae). Contributions from the University of Michigan Herbarium 25: 1–82.