Megaskepasma erythrochlamys: Brazilian red cloak
It must appear to those less familiar with the plant world that botanists sometimes take the mickey when it comes to naming plants. Why else would we end up with trees called Lyonothamnus floribundus subsp. asplenifolius, or Metasequoia glyptostroboides, that no-one can pronounce, let alone remember? On the day that some learned fellow dubbed the Brazilian red cloak Megaskepasma erythrochlamys he (or she) had clearly had one sherry too many. Yet for a plant with a latin name that has the ring of a particularly virulent STD or fungal infection, it is a surprisingly attractive thing.
Native to rainforests of Venezuela, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and El Salvador, (but strangely not to Brazil), Brazilian red cloak is a semi-woody, evergreen shrub that grows to 8 feet tall. The lanky stems produce pyramidal clusters of showy red bracts from which emerge two-lipped white flowers. Megaskepasma erythrochlamys blooms from autumn to mid-winter, which here in Hong Kong means right now. Massed together, in full flower, the effect is highly theatrical and very appropriate for a tropical setting. Alas such a firecracker will only flourish in a very warm and large conservatory back home in the UK, and then only if pruned hard after flowering. I am delighted, and surprised, to note that 1 litre plants are available from Jungle Seeds, who I highly recommend as a nursery. As for cultural advice, I’d simply advise you don’t brag to your neighbours about having Megaskepasma erythrochlamys …. unless you’re happy for them to give you a very wide berth.
Wishing you a good week ahead. TFG.
Categories: Beautiful Strangers, Flowers, Plants, Tropical Gardens
You are making me homesick for Sydney now. I had this in my garden there!
It’s quite a showstopper! I think I need to live somewhere warmer 😎
Ooh yes, such a totally delicious mouthful. I’ve found it slow to get going in my Sydney garden but the magnificent specimens in the Sydney Botanic Gardens show it thrives in a ‘cool’ subtropical climate, easily tolerating down to 10 degrees or so overnight in winter. If you lived somewhere warmer, Dan, you’d also have to live somewhere a lot bigger for this baby!
Yes a beauty Dan. I had it in my Brisbane garden but since moving south to the Canberra regions it’s a thing of the past for me as I suspect for you….or are you planning on another property to extend the hot house 🙂
Definitely not. No more houses for the time being, although my colleagues keep lobbying me to come and live in Hong Kong. 20 years ago I might have considered it, but not much space for a garden here!
Such a beautiful plant- with such an unpronounceable name! I’d never heard if it before. Thanks for sharing. Karen