There are various shapes of flowers, but this flower is also quite unusual. When we think of a flower, we typically envision a star-shaped flower with five or six petals. However, with this flower, it’s hard to tell where the petals are attached or how many there are. Even after reading the description that says, ‘It produces a conical inflorescence 10-15cm long at the stem tip, and the flowers are 5cm long, with pale pink to deep peach-red two-lipped flowers, with the lower lip turned backward,’ it’s still not clear. Nevertheless, the name of the flower is quite fitting. It looks just like coral swaying in transparent seawater. It is also called Flamingo Plant, but the former name is more appropriate. The Coral Plant is a evergreen shrub native to the Atlantic coastal forests of eastern Brazil. It typically grows to a height of around 1-2 meters. It is sensitive to cold and extreme heat, but it has a long flowering period, and its flowers evoke the warm atmosphere of a tropical paradise.

花の形もいろいろありますが、この花も異形ですね。花と言えば、普通思い浮かべるのは、花弁が５枚とか６枚の星形の花ですが、この花なんか、いったい花弁がどこから付いているのか、また何枚なのか、さっぱり分かりません。説明書には「茎先に長さ10～15cmの円錐花序を出し、花は長さは5cmで淡い桃色～濃い桃紅色の2唇形花で、下唇が反転します。」とありますが、これを読んでもさっぱりです。しかし、花の名前はぴったりです。まるで透明な海水の中に揺れるサンゴの様です。別名フラミンゴプランツと呼ばれるそうですが、この名前の方が合ってます。サンゴバナは、ブラジル東部の大西洋岸森林地帯原産の常緑小低木です。樹高は1、２ m程です。寒さや酷暑には弱いですが、開花期間が長く、暖かい南国の雰囲気を感じさせる花です。