Pocket BotanistPlant guide
Princess Flower.
Tibouchina
Pronounced tib-oo-KY-nuh ur-vil-ee-AY-nuh
Also known as Glorytree, glory bushes and allies
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The Princess Flower is a stunning tropical shrub known for its velvety leaves and deep purple blooms. It thrives in warm, humid environments and makes a beautiful focal point in any garden. You will love how its vibrant color stands out against the dark foliage.
At a glance
- Care level
- Moderate
- Plant type
- Evergreen shrub
- Light
- Full sun to partial shade
- Indoor light
- Bright indirect
- Water
- Every 3 to 7 days
- Mature size
- 10 to 15 feet
- Growth rate
- Fast
Care
Keep the soil consistently moist but never soggy to prevent root rot. Watch for yellowing leaves as a sign of overwatering or poor drainage. Prune back after flowering to encourage a bushier shape and more blooms next season.
- Watering
- Water when the top inch of soil feels dry to the touch.
- Feeding
- Feed with a balanced liquid fertilizer during the active growing season.
- Pruning
- Trim back after the main flowering period to maintain a tidy shape.
- Repotting
- Repot in the spring when the roots begin to crowd the container.
- Soil
- Rich, well draining, acidic soil
- Soil pH
- 5.5 to 6.5
Safety
- Pets
- This plant is generally considered non toxic to cats and dogs.
How to identify it
- Velvety dark green leaves
- Deep purple five petaled flowers
- Prominent white stamens
- Square shaped stems
- Distinctive longitudinal leaf veins
Problems to watch for
Check your princess flower from a photo
Pocket Botanist looks at a photo of your plant and tells you what's wrong and what to try first.
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Science
- Family
- Melastomataceae
- Genus
- Tibouchina
- Order
- Myrtales
- Class
- Magnoliopsida
Taxonomy resolved against GBIF.
Keep your princess flower growing
This page is a general guide. Save your plant in Pocket Botanist and you get care reminders timed for this plant, plus a care history that shows what worked.
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This guide was generated with AI on and checked against GBIF taxonomy. It is general information, not horticultural or veterinary advice. Read about how we build these guides.