The New "Extreme" Superfruit

Cavendishia grandiflora

I attended the orchid show at the New York Botanical Garden last year with my daughter. Wow! It was gorgeous. But, I think my favorite plant by far was this Cavendishia grandiflora. Two of my favorite colors are combined in this beautiful, unusual flower.  It belongs to the Ericaceae family, the  heath or heather family, the same family as blueberries, azaleas, rhododendrons, and
cranberries belong to. They all prefer acid soil and these Cavendishia grow native in Central America, Mexico, and South America.

 What I also discovered is that they are considered neotropical blueberries and are the new "extreme"  superfruit. They are reported to contain 2 to 4 times more anitoxidants than the American blueberry.  Who knew? I just thought they were pretty flowers. 

 

 Flowers growing on a vine in the conservatory.

Flowers from the bottom