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| Category: Perennial |
| Family: Apocynaceae (Dogbanes & Milkweeds) |
| Origin: Brazil (South America) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Blue |
| Bloomtime: Summer |
| Synonyms: [Tweedia caerulea] |
| Height: 1-3 feet |
| Width: 1-2 feet |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Medium Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 20-25° F |
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Oxypetalum coeruleum (Tweedia) - This twining perennial grows 2-3 feet on its own and can reach to 10 feet with support in near frost free climates. It has 4 inch long gray-green leaves that, like the stems and inflorescence, are covered with fine soft hair. In the summer appear the clusters of star-shaped pale blue flowers with darker turquoise centers that are followed by 4 inch long pods. Plant in full sun and irrigate regularly. Although evergreen in near frost free locations, it is best to tidy up this plant by cutting it back in early spring. It is often plagued late season by orange aphids which look somewhat attractive juxtaposed against the blue flowers, but should be hosed off or otherwise treated. It is a plant know to attracts bees and other pollinators but with white sap that is caustic so one should avoid eye and skin contact and do not ingest the plant. This also seems to make is resistant to predation by herbivores. It comes from Southern Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. The Scotish botanist David Don initially described Tweedia coerulea in 1837 from a plant discovered in Buenos Aires by the Scotish botanist James Tweedie, who prior to his travels abroad was the head gardener at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh. The genus name given to honor him was applied by Sir William Hooker, then director of the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew. Apparently Don's description did not meet the standards for valid publication, which was later provided by the British botanist Robert Sweet when he published Don's description in The British Flower Garden in 1838 . Prior to this, Sweet was embroilded at the center of controversy when charged with receiving plants allegedly stolen from the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, though it was suggested that this was an attempt to frame him by an official at Kew whom Sweet had criticised and he was later acquitted after a well-publised trial. In 1844 the name was revised and the plant reclassified to Oxypetalum by Joseph Decaisne in his Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis. Oxypetalum means "sharp petal" in reverance to the sharply narrowing petal tips. Curiously the plant was listed in many botanical texts for over more than a century under its previous name. The specific epithet means "blue" and though its original genus name has become its most common colloquial name, another common name is Blue Flowered Milkweed. What color blue is this plant? It sure is a fantastic color and we have heard some people refer to its color as "yuppie blue". We grew this plant from 1996 until 2008 using the name Tweedia caeruleum.
This information about Oxypetalum coeruleum displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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