The violet blooms of Petrea volubilis are filling the canopy of the Glasshouse corridor.
Climbing to 12m in height this twining woody climber produces arching panicles of flowers, each with a small, deeply coloured, central corolla sitting in 5 paler petal-like calyx lobes. The dark green oblong-elliptic leaves have a rough lower surface, giving rise to the common name of the sandpaper vine. Petrea volubilis is a native of Florida, Mexico and tropical America. The generic name honors Lord Petre, an eighteenth century botanical and horticultural patron, while the specific name volubilis means twining.