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Prolific producer of royal purple blooms throughout the growing season. Beautiful evergreen shrub for borders, evtryways or hedges in warmer climates or useas summer annual elsewhere. Full sun. Moderate grower to 6 feet tall, 4 feet wide. Cutting grown
- Alyogyne is an Australian genus of xerophytic Malvaceous shrubs, distantly related to, and formerly classified in the genus Hibiscus. The genus is distinguished from Hibiscus by the undivided style. There are 4 recognised species, cuneiformis, hakeifolia, huegelii and pinoniana. Two of these species, the Blue Hibiscus, Alyogyne huegelii, and the Red-centred Hibiscus, Alyogyne hakeifolia, are cultivated as decorative shrubs.
- Species of the genus are distributed in Western Australia, Southern Australia and the Northern Territory, as indicated on the map above.
- Alyogynes have stellate hairs on various parts. The flowers are borne solitarily in leaf axils. They possess an epicalyx composed of 4 to 10 bracteoles fused towards the base. The petals are large, of various colours, and usually with a constrasting basal spot. The anthers are borne in rings along the staminal column. The style is unbranched, with a 5-lobed decurrent stigma. The fruit is a 5-celled dehiscent capsule. The seeds are often woolly.
- Classification
- The genus was erected in 1863 by Alefeld for Giardano's Hibiscus hakaeifolius. To this Lewton (1915) later transferred the coastal Hibiscus cuneiformis DC., and Fryxell (1968) Hibiscus pinonianus C. Gaudichaud-Beaupré and Hibiscus huegelii Endl.
- Lewton used the orthographic variant Allogyne, and references might be found under that spelling.
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Features
Alyogyne huegelii 'Santa Cruz' (Blue Hibiscus) - Native to south and western Australia. This evergreen shrub grows to about 6-10 feet tall and 6-8 feet wide. The flowers are borne solitarily in leaf axils and hold large light blue petals. This is a hardy and adaptable shrub, which is lime, drought and frost tolerant. It requires a well drained soil, but can be grown in sand, loam or clay soils. It can be grown in full sun, or in partial shade. Protection from strong winds is desirable. Little watering is required, especially if the plants are well mulched. Once established supplementary watering should be required only during extremely dry condition, but is tolerated provided the plants are in a well drained position. If unpruned Alyogyne huegelii becomes a little sparse of foliage on lower branches, and may also become straggly. It can be pruned back quite hard after flowering, or frequently and lightly during the flowering season. Pruning results in a denser, more compact, and possibly more floriferous plant. It will throw out vigorous fast-growing shoots from old wood, thus enabling it to be kept down to a small compact shrub if desired. Cold hardy to 25-30° F. The generic name is derived from the Greek alytos united or undivided and gyne woman or female, and is said to be a reference to the unbranched style
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