Collaea speciosa (Loiseleur, 1812) |
Synonyms: Collaea velutina, Cytisus speciosus, Galactia speciosa |
Collaea speciosa is a Neotropical species found in the Andes of Peru and Bolivia, and the mountains of eastern and south-eastern Brazil. It grows at edges of humid and dry montane forests, in montane grasslands, stony fields, alongside roads and fields; at 1,000-3,300 m. This is a shrub or subshrub, 1-3 m tall; the leaves are elliptic to lanceolate, 4-9 cm long. Inflorescence is racemose; red or purple corolla almost twice the length of the chalice. The fruit is a laterally compressed pod, 45-75 mm long. This species blooms from August to February. C. speciosa is pollinated by hummingbirds, and attended by other birds, including tanagers, who supposedly remove the cup to consume the stamens.