Cleome houtteana - Brazilian Spider Flower

Brazilian Spider flower is an annual herb, 1-1.5 m tall. Inflorescences are 5-30 cm (10-80 cm in fruit), stalked; bracts ovate, 1-2.5 cm. Flower-stalks are 2-4.5 cm, glandular velvet-hairy. Sepals are green, equal, distinct, linear-lanceshaped, 5-7 x 0.8-1.3 mm, reflexed after flowering, persistent, glandular velvet-hairy, tip tapering. Petals are pink to purple but infrequently white or fading to white by second day, oblong to ovate, 2-3 x 0.8-1.2 cm, clawed. Long stamens arise from very close to the sepals, a feature which easily distinguishes this plant from Showy Spider Flower. In Showy Spider Flower the stamens arise from a distance above the sepals. Stamens are purple, 3-5 cm; anthers green, 9-10 mm. Pistil 6-10 mm. Stems are branched, glandular velvet-hairy. Stipular spines 1-3 mm. Leaf-stalks are 2.5-7.5 cm, with 1-3 mm spines; leaflets 5 or 7; leaflet blades elliptic to inverted-lanceshaped, 2-6 x 1-3 cm, glandular hairy, margin minutely toothed-finely toothed, tip pointed. Brazilian Spider Flower is native to Brazil to Argentina, cultivated worldwide. Flowering: April-December.