Japanese name: トキワネム（常盤合歓） Scientific name:Calliandra brevipes
[Overview]
An evergreen shrub up to 2 m tall.
The branches have no thorns.
The leaves are alternate and pinnately compound, with many oblong leaflets.
If the temperature is high enough, it flowers all year round.
The flowers are borne in large numbers in hemispherical flower heads that emerge from the leaf axils, and the many long stamens are conspicuous.
The stamens are pale pink in the upper half and white in the lower half.
The fruit is a flat legume with thickened margins.
[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or by cuttings.
It prefers fertile, sunny, well-drained soil.
It is not very cold-hardy, so bring potted plants indoors to a sunny spot in winter.
For potted plants, from spring to autumn water thoroughly when the soil surface dries, and keep it on the dry side in winter.
In spring, apply organic fertilizer or slow-release fertilizer placed on the soil.
Pests include spider mites and scale insects.
