This evergreen shrub is displaying pendent bell-shaped flowers in the Glasshouse Bays.
A native of South America the evergreen genus Crinodendron takes its name from the Greek ‘krinon’ meaning lily, and ‘dendron’ meaning tree. Crinodendron is one of approximately 12 genera in the tropical woody family Elaeocarpaceae. The genus contains 5 species of bird pollinated trees and shrubs. This is a rarely grown genus in the United Kingdom, with only two species represented. C. hookerianum is the more familiar, requiring humus-rich, acid soil, while C. patagua tolerates drier soils and full sun. C. patagua is a Chilean species reaching up to 20m in height and bearing oblong-ovate leaves with lightly serrated, or crenate, margins, and scented, white flowers, which earn it the common name lily of the valley tree. It was first introduced to our gardens by Henry Elwes in 1901.