22- Orelha-de-onça- Leandra aurea (Cham.) Cogn. (MELOSTOMATACEAE)

 

Perennial shrub, small to medium sized, with branches and leaves usually covered by fine down, which gives it its characteristic and velvety aspect. The leaves in general are broad and with thin tips, with a short sheath, entire margin and heavily covered with whitish hair, with 3 to 9 parallel ribs that start at the base and end at the tip of the leaf. Flowers at the tip of the branches, with a very small chalice, externally covered with down, with five petals, rounded, from lilac to purple. Persistent, dry fruits with tiny seeds.

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Distribution: Common throughout South America, especially in the southeast and midwest regions of the continent.

 

Situation in São Paulo: Common on the side of the road and in fragments of cerrado around the city.

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How to plant:

 

Uses: Potential for landscaping, due to the aspect of leaves and flowering, which occurs in spring-summer. In the cerrado of São Paulo there are several species very similar to each other, which may also differ depending on the conditions of the environment.

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MARTINS, AB (COORD.) MELASTOMATACEAE IN: MARTINS, SE ET AL (EDS.) FLORA PHANEROGAMIC OF THE STATE OF SÃO PAULO. INSTITUTE OF BOTANICS, SÃO PAULO, VOL. 6, PP: 1-168, 2009.