Brazilian Brunfelsia

The arrows rained down upon us as we frantically paddled for shore. We quickly arraigned our packs and bags into a defensive barrier on the sand bar as we cowered behind the raft. We could hear the arrows landing, splashing in the water, clanking against the rocks of the riverbank, and making a pinging sound when they bounced off the rubber raft. We could also hear war cries coming from above us in the jungle but could not see them. It was really unnerving not being able to see our attackers! We were traveling along a tributary to the Rio Negro and were clearly not welcome there! As soon as the attack had started it was over and after about an hour of just waiting for something to happen, we finally realized they had left. We decided that it was a good idea to turn around and we did so with haste! We were lucky the attack was just a warning or we all would have been killed! As we were heading back we came upon a lovely plant that really caught our eye. It was absolutely covered in purple and lavender flowers and had large green glossy leaves. We later identified it as Brunfelsia pauciflora 'Macrantha' or Brazilian Purple Brunfelsia. This amazing plant is way more awesome than the typical Brunfelsia. It has deep, deep, lavender flowers that are huge at 2”- 4” wide! This robust variety has large glossy dark green leaves to 8 inches long by 2 1/2 inches wide for a great tropical look! The huge flowers run from deep purple to soft white literally by the hundreds on a typical bush!  It is hardy to about 30-32 degrees F although it can sprout back from the ground after temperatures in the mid 20's. It also makes a great large container plant. Why more people don’t use this plant is beyond us! We sell this rare and beautiful plant in 1 gallon containers.