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Podalyria calyptrata Seeds Common names : sweetpea bush, large pink keurtjie, water blossom-pea (Eng.); keur, keurtjie, keurblom, ertjiebos, waterkeurtjie (Afr.)There are few shrubs to beat Podalyria calyptrata , with its attractive, glossy, silvery foliage and masses of sweet-scented mauve-pink sweetpea-like flowers in spring, and it is easy to grow. It's also an excellent plant for the gardener wanting to attract bees, butterflies and birds to the garden. Description The flowers are large, 25 mm or more across, very showy, mauve-pink to pink, most have a white spot in the centre, usually visible on the standard petal, and very occasionally you find a bush where the whole flower is white. Flowers are borne in winterspringearly summer. Flowering time varies in that some bushes flower earlier than others in the same area.. Flowering is extended - bushes start off attractively dotted with their large flowers and in full bloom are completely covered in flowers. The flowers are typically pea-like with the standard/banner, keel and wing petals; the keel completely encloses the stamens and the stigma. They are also strongly fragrant, and really do fill the air of whole valleys with their sweet scent' (Marloth in Palmer & Pitman 1972), a scent that reminds me of some grape-flavoured sweets of my childhood. When in bud, the flowers are covered by small, hairy bracts joined together to form a silken cap, which turns pale brown and appears to shrink as the bud grows, until it is balanced on the tip of the bud and falls off as the flower opens. It is an obvious feature once you notice it, and it distinguishes Podalyria calyptrata from all other species of Podalyria . Distribution Derivation of the name & historical aspects: The genus Podalyria was named by Lamarck after Podalirius/Podalyrius (Latin) from Podaleirios (Greek), the son of Asklepios, god of healing. According to the Iliad, Podaleirios and his brother Machaon were physicians to the Greek army during the Trojan Wars. The specific name calyptrata comes from the characteristic cap that covers the flower buds, the Latin calyptrata meaning bearing a cap-like covering'. The bid amount is for 1 Seed We'll supply you with all the germination & care instructions. See lots more bonsai, carnivorous, succulent, protea & other interesting plant seeds by following this link below. Thanks. |