04/16/2026
Being the synesthete that I am, Thursdays are Purple, (or blue, violet, or lavender), just as Wednesdays are green and Fridays are always red (Of course!).
So today being a Thursday I’ve chosen this plant to write about.
Brunfelsia pauciflora ‘Floribunda’ is a medium sized shrub to small tree that can grow almost as wide as it does tall, (7-8’ ft or 2.2 -2.6 meters).
It produces beautiful flowers that are borne in cymes of up to 10. The flower is about 5 centimeters long.
It blooms first as a deep purple with a white throat, that lasts for one to two days, then transition to lavender for a day or so before finally fading to white.
Hence one of its common names of ‘Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow’.
During the blooming period the plant will have flowers at all three stages at once.
The genus name Brunfelsia commemorates sixteenth century German monk, Otto Brunfels.
The specific epithet pauciflora is Latin for 'few-flowered.
They are relatively slow growing and need rich, well drained soil. Regular feeding during the growing season is helpful. In high pH alkaline soils, they are prone to chlorosis, so applications of iron are also recommended.
In colder climates it can lose its leaves for a few months but rarely here on the California Central Coast.
A light pruning after flowering will help keep the plant from becoming too scraggly.
Brunfelsia also perform well when grown in containers.
Brunfelsia are native to Brazil where they grow at altitude favoring the Atlantic facing slopes of the Serra do Mar in southeastern Brazil. They are also located in the state of Rio de Janeiro to Santa Catarina, where they grow from sea level to altitudes of 1,500 m (4,900 ft). Most are found in pluvial rainforests with an annual rainfall of up to 1,600 mm (63 in).
Brunfelsia is a shade loving plant but will tolerate partial sun as well. Make sure to plant it where you can visually enjoy the colorful floral display that seems to light up shady spots in the garden.
Cultivars bred for ornamental use besides “Floribunda’ are the smaller “Floribunda Compacta’ which grows to about half the height of the former, as well as “Macrantha’ (“Magnifica’) which has far fewer but larger flowers.
They are all members of the Solanaceae or Nightshade family, and as such all parts of the plant, are toxic if ingested.
Although mine have never done so, they can produce fruits which are the highest in toxicity.
In particular they contain indole alkaloids derived from Beta-carboline such as harmine, tetrahydroharmine, harmaline, manacin, manacein, and dimethyltryptamine and amidine derivatives such as pyrrole 3-carboxamidine.
(The plant geek in me needs to know these things!)
Another aspect that fascinates me are the reasons why the flowers change from purple to lavender to white.
This color change is not only a visual spectacle but also a reflection of the plant's internal processes and responses to environmental factors.
Those factors that cause this are bound up in the details of:
• Metabolic Pathway Competition,
• Floral Volatile Components
• Flavonoids and Total Phenolic Content
• Stress Defense and Senescence Proteins
(If you're really interested you can look these things up!)
The photos I’ve provided here are recent, (Still blooming as of today), and depict one of the three plants in the gardens here in differing light as well as one right after a recent rain.
That said I don't think they do justice to how they look in person!
Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.
And Happy Gardening!
