(Gentianaceae)
Tripterospermum volubile  BSWJ11774

Description

A small twining herbaceous climber to about 2m tall in the wild, where they frequent the understorey of some ancient moist forests. With purple slender stems holding narrow leaves with heart-shaped base and long pointed tips, grey to green above purple below. Bearing from mid summer into winter gentian shaped stripped white flowers, followed by long pointed purple aubergine-like seed pods full of flat black seed. Best grown in a moist environment in light shade with the support of small shrubs, in a humus rich drained soil. From a collection gathered in the extreme north of Vietnam along the border with China.