Scientific name: Alyogyne hakeifolia x A. huegelli 'Montburg purple'.

Family: Malvaceae

Common name: Australian Hibiscus

Alyogyne is a genus of xerophytic shrubs native to Australia. From the hybrid of two species, Alyogyne huegelii (Endl.) Fryxell, and Alyogyne hakeifolia Alef. the cultivar 'Montburg Purple' has been produced, with fantastic, elegant flowers. If the Latin name of a plant sounds complicated enough, in the case of a hybrid cultivar it sounds doubly extravagant. As many people already know, the words in italics identify the genus and species, but some people have asked us about the abbreviations after the italics; these are the author(s) who described and named them. The first were collected in 1802, and were named Hibiscus; it was not until the middle of the 19th century that they were considered a separate genus, Alyogyne; a name derived from the Greek alytos, united or undivided and gyne female, which refers to the style (tube leading to the ovary), which is undivided, unlike Hibiscus, in which the style branches below the stigmas.

They are very branched shrubs, with stellate hairs in some parts. The flowers are borne solitary in the axils of the leaves, have 5 petals that overlap and are distributed in a spiral. Flowering is very long-lasting, lasting several months. It grows well in full sun and needs very well-drained soil.

Alyogyne huegelii has lobed and wrinkled leaves. Our hybrid has thinner leaves, though not as thin as those of A. hakeifolia, which has needle-thin, almost filamentous lobes. The flowers are a delicate lilac to pink with a purple base. It can be seen in the Australian part of the rockery with Mediterranean climate vegetation.