Salpiglossis sinuata

Scalloped tube tongue redirects here. For the tongue condition, see crenated tongue.

Salpiglossis sinuata, the painted tongue, scalloped tube tongue, velvet trumpet flower, palito amargo ( Spanish : bitter little stick - from the extreme bitterness of its leaves) or panza de burro ( Spanish : donkey's paunch ), is a flowering plant belonging to the subfamily Cestroideae of the nightshade family Solanaceae, native to southern Chile.

Salpiglossis sinuata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Solanales
Family:	Solanaceae
Genus:	Salpiglossis
Species:	S. sinuata
Binomial name
Salpiglossis sinuata Ruiz & Pav.
Synonyms
Phyteuma tricolor Molina Salpiglossis atropurpurea R. Graham Salpiglossis barclayana Sweet Salpiglossis coccinea Lindl. & Paxton Salpiglossis fulva Court. Salpiglossis picta Sweet Salpiglossis purpurea Miers Salpiglossis straminea Hook.

Interior of ruminant's paunch / rumen ( Spanish : panza ) showing net-like patterns similar to those of flower of Salpiglossis sinuata - whence Spanish common name panza de burro ( "donkey's paunch" ) - also a name given to a blanket of low cloud similarly patterned.

Description

Salpiglossis sinuata is an annual or short-lived perennial herbaceous plant growing to 60 cm (2.0 ft) tall, rarely up to 1 m (3.3 ft) tall. The leaves are 4–10 cm (1.6–3.9 in) long, elliptic to lanceolate, with a wavy, lobed or toothed margin.

The flowers have a five-lobed funnel-shaped corolla, up to 7 cm (2.8 in) long and 5.5 cm (2.2 in) diameter, each lobe with a notched apex, velvety in texture, either violet or orange, and have contrasting darker stripes along each petal.

Cultivation and uses

Of the two species in its genus, Salpiglossis sinuata is the more commonly grown as an ornamental plant for gardens. It was introduced to the northern hemisphere in the 1820s.

A number of cultivars have been selected for different flower colours. It is grown in full sunlight.

Gallery

• 
  Close-up of flower of yellow-flowered cultivar of S. sinuata.
• 
  S. sinuata : habit study and close-up of giant red-flowered form.
• 
  S. sinuata : close-up of pale purple-flowered form.
• 
  Growth habit of blue-flowered form "Kew Blue".
• 
  Bed of Salpiglossis sinuata plants with flowers of three different colours.