Duranta erecta
- 4 ft to 8 ft tall annual in cooler climates
- Cold hardy and thrives in partial to full sun
- Requires periodic pruning to maintain shape
- Provides food/shelter for bees, butterflies and birds
Skyflower is a sprawling, sometimes vine-like tender evergreen shrub or small tree that can get up to 15 feet tall and just as wide. It usually forms a multi-stemmed clump with branches that droop and trail. The ovate leaves are 1-3 inches long and arranged on the stem in pairs opposite each other, or in whorls of three. Some bushes are quite spiny, and some have no spines at all. The showy flowers bloom almost all year long in terminal or lateral clusters (racemes, actually) up to 6 inches long. The individual flowers are tubular with five petals, light blue to violet or purple, and flare out at the mouth about 0.5 inches across. The fruit is a spherical yellow drupe about 0.5 inches diameter borne in showy hanging bunches.
The cultivar, ‘Alba’ has white flowers, ‘Grandiflora’ has larger flowers, about 3/4 inches, and ‘Variegata’ has variegated leaves.
Common Names: Golden Dew Drop, Pigeon Berry, Brazilian Sky Flower
Use with caution around small children as the fruit are considered to be poisonous.