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| Category: Perennial |
| Family: Acanthaceae (Acanthusą) |
| Origin: Africa, West (Africa) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Blue Violet |
| Bloomtime: Summer/Fall |
| Synonyms: [Leucorhaphis lamium] |
| Height: 4-6 feet |
| Width: 3-5 feet |
| Exposure: Light Shade/Part Sun |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): High Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 30-32° F |
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Brillantaisia nitens (Tropical Giant Sage) A perennial herb or subshrub that can grow to 9 feet tall in its native habitat of wet forests of tropical west Africa from Guinea south to West and East Cameroons but likely will grow to about 4 to 6 feet in our drier climate. It has large dark green arrowhead shaped leaves with winged petioles on prominent square stems with spikes of oppositely paired large blue-purple flowers that are bi-labiate with a large hooded petals in summer to fall. Plant in morning sun to light shade in a area that gets regular irrigation – do not allow to completely dry out. It is listed hardy to 30°F and we have not tested it to temperatures below this. This plant is interesting and has beautiful large flowers and is also used in Africa for many traditional herbal remedies. The common name often given for this plant, Tropical Giant Salvia, is misleading as it is not even in the same family as Salvia, the Lamiaceae but in the Acanthaceae. The genus Brillantaisia has about 20 species that are distributed across tropical Africa and Madagascar. Our thanks to artist and garden designer Marcia Donahue of Berkeley, CA for sharing this plant with us.
The description above is based on our research and observations of this plant growing in our nursery and in our own and other Santa Barbara gardens. We would appreciate hearing from anyone who has additional information or disagrees with what we have written.
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