Sunday 2 August 2015

Creature 306: Psychotria elata

A flower that looks like lips
Psychotria elata is flowering plant sometimes known as the hot lips plant or the hooker's lips.

The reason for this unusual name is the strange appearance of the floral bracts as the flower is developing. They look like a heavily lipsticked set of human lips. When the floral bracts open the flower looks like this.

Distribution:
Psychotria elata can be found in rain forest habitats of central and south America.

Classification:
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Angiosperms
Class: Dicotyledon
Order: Gentianales
Family: Rubiaceae
Genus: Psychotria
Species: Psychotria elata

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