Thrayllis Galphimia glauca
Introduction
This compact, upright, rounded,
evergreen shrub is covered
during most of the year with
small, very showy, yellow
flowers. The loose, open
natural growth habit is ideal
for informal plantings but
it will need some pruning
to keep from being too leggy.
It can be sheared into a
more formal hedge and can
be used for topicary, but
some flowers will be trimmed
off at each pruning. Sheared
plants often thin out at
the bottom. To help prevent
this, keep the bottom of
a hedge slightly wider than
the top to allow sunlight
to reach the lower foliage.
There are several examples
in Florida of Thryallis pruned
into a small, multiple-trunked
tree.
General
Information
Scientific name: Galphimia glauca
Pronunciation: gal-FIM-ee-uh
GLOCK-uh
Common name(s): Thryallis, Rain-of-Gold
Family: Malpighiaceae
Plant type: shrub
USDA hardiness zones: 9B through
11
Planting month for zone 9: year
round
Origin: not native to North America
Uses: border; mass planting;
specimen; container or aboveground
planter
Availability: somewhat available,
may have to go out of the region
to find the plant
Plant density: dense
Description
Height: 5 to 9 feet
Spread: 4 to 6 feet
Plant habit: oval
Growth rate: moderate
Texture: fine
Foliage
Leaf arrangement: opposite/subopposite
Leaf type: simple
Leaf margin: entire
Leaf shape: oblong
Leaf venation: pinnate
Leaf type and persistence: evergreen
Leaf blade length: 2 to 4 inches
Leaf color: green
Fall color: no fall color change
Fall characteristic: not showy
Flower
Flower color: yellow
Flower characteristic: year-round
flowering
Fruit
Fruit shape: oval
Fruit length: less than .5 inch
Fruit cover: dry or hard
Fruit color: green
Fruit characteristic: inconspicuous
and not showy
Trunk
and Branches
Trunk/bark/branches: not particularly
showy; typically multitrunked
or clumping stems
Current year stem/twig color:
reddish
Current year stem/twig thickness:
thin
Culture
Light requirement: plant grows
in full sun
Soil tolerances: slightly alkaline;
clay; sand; acidic; loam
Drought tolerance: moderate
Soil salt tolerances: poor
Plant spacing: 36 to 60 inches
Other
Roots: usually not a problem
Winter interest: plant has winter
interest due to unusual form,
nice persistent fruits, showy
winter trunk, or winter flowers
Outstanding plant: not particularly
outstanding
Invasive potential: not known
to be invasive
Pest resistance: no serious pests
are normally seen on the plant
Use
and Management
Full sun is needed for best appearance
and flowering but Thryallis can
tolerate some shade. Flowering
will be sparse without a full
day of sun. Plant three to five
feet apart in shrub border or
in any mass planting. Plants
are killed to the ground at about
25-degrees F. but quickly regrow
in the spring in USDA hardiness
zones 8b and 9. Thryallis is
propagated by seeds, sown while
still green, or by tender softwood
cuttings in summer. Seedlings
will bloom when one-foot-tall
and six-months-old. Thryallis
is pest-free, only occasionally
being bothered by caterpillars
and mites.
Pests
and Diseases
No diseases are of major concern.
by Edward F. Gilman
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