Alonsoa

A-lon-zo'a. Ten species of tropical American herbs grown as annuals outdoors or as greenhouse plants for their attractive, red, winter-blooming flowers.

Description
Leaves opposite or in threes. Flowers in terminal finger-shaped clusters, the corolla very irregular, 2-lipped, and turned upside down by twisting of its individual stalklets.

How to Grow
Plants grow best in cool, northern gardens and in cool places such as Calif. and the Northwest. However, they are sensitive to frost. Start seeds indoors and set out after frost danger. Space plants 6-12 in. (15-30 cm) apart.

Alonsoa Warscewiczii
Mask Flower . 1-3 ft. (30-90 cm) high. Flowers red, ⅝-¾ in. (16-19 mm) wide, the cluster loose. Peru. Cultivar 'Compacta' has scarlet flowers. Also sold as A. grandiflora or A. Mutissii . Tender perennial grown as a tender annual.

Alonsoa
Alonsoa meridionalis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Lamiales Family: Scrophulariaceae Genus: Alonsoa Ruiz & Pav.
Species
See text.

Alonsoa (Mask flower) is a genus of 12 species of flowering plants in the family Scrophulariaceae, the figwort family. The genus includes both herbaceous and shrubby species.

The genus is native to Central and western South America, from Mexico south to Peru and Chile. Alonsoas grow to around 30-100 cm tall, and have small, broadly oval, serrated leaves. The red, orange, yellow, white or occasionally blue flowers are borne on a loose terminal raceme.

Selected species

• Alonsoa acutifolia Ruiz & Pav.
• Alonsoa albiflora
• Alonsoa grandiflora Hort. ex Vilmorin
• Alonsoa incisifolia Ruiz & Pav.
• Alonsoa linearis
• Alonsoa mathewsii Benth. in DC.
• Alonsoa meridionalis (L. f.) Kuntze
• Alonsoa warscewiczii Reg.

External links

• Alonsoa meridionalis pictures growing in Chile

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