Dalechampia aristolochiaefolia - Silk Crepe Flower

This is definitely the most unusual plant I've got growing in my garden.  I found it in a local nursery just last year, so mine is still a baby.  It's been quite hard to find a lot of information about it ... so I'll share the little I know.

It's from Costa Rica apparently ...in the Euphorbiaceae (Spurge) family ... and grows well in tropical and semi-tropical climates.  It needs lots of bright sunlight ... will grow in full sun and partial shade ... likes a moderately moist soil ... and thrives in warm conditions.  Apparently once it is established, it is somewhat drought tolerant.

This Dalechampia is a fast-growing evergreen climber with green, heart-shaped leaves ...

and bright purple blooms.  It's commonly called the 'Silk Crepe Flower' because the bloom does feel like silk.

The purple part is in fact a bract. The creamy-brown bit in the middle is quite sticky ... the little red heart-shaped things are tiny flowers I think, but I'm not certain.

And then there are these cauliflower-looking things that appear after a while ... what these are I hazard to guess!

Then finally the bracts fall off, leaving the tiny heart-shaped flowers with the heart-shaped leaves in the background.

Seems like rather a perfect plant to talk about on Valentine's Day!!