Congea is a small genus of flowering vines belonging to the mint family, Lamiaceae, within the order Lamiales. It was first described by the Scottish botanist William Roxburgh in 1820, in his work Plants of the Coast of Coromandel. According to GBIF's taxonomic backbone, the genus comprises 13 accepted species.
Species in this genus are woody, twining vines native to southern China, the Himalayas, and Southeast Asia, with individual species ranging across Yunnan, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Sumatra, and parts of the Indian subcontinent (including Assam and Bangladesh). Several species have also become naturalized outside their native range, including in Sri Lanka, Fiji, and parts of Central America and the Caribbean.
The best-known member of the genus is Congea tomentosa, commonly called Shower Orchid, Shower of Orchids, or Wooly Congea — a name that reflects its showy, orchid-like floral display rather than any close botanical relationship to true orchids. Species in Congea are rarely cultivated outside the tropics; where they are grown, it is typically restricted to large greenhouses, conservatories on large estates, or botanic gardens, owing to their need for warm, humid conditions and substantial growing space as vigorous climbers.
Distribution
Species of Congea are native to southern China (Yunnan), the Himalayas, and Southeast Asia, with individual species also recorded in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Sumatra, Assam, and Bangladesh. Some species have naturalized beyond their native range, including in Sri Lanka, Fiji, Central America, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic.
Taxonomy Notes
The genus was first described by William Roxburgh in 1820 (published in Plants of the Coast of Coromandel, vol. 3: 90) and is placed in family Lamiaceae, order Lamiales. GBIF's backbone lists 13 accepted species in the genus.
Cultivation
Congea species are rarely grown outside the tropics. Congea tomentosa is the exception occasionally seen in cultivation, but typically only in large greenhouses or conservatories on large estates and botanic gardens.
