Duranta erecta is a species of flowering shrub in the verbena family Verbenaceae, native from Mexico to South America and the Caribbean. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant throughout the world, and has become naturalized in many places.
The tropical duranta plant delivers scores of pale blue or violet blossom clusters all growing season long. The duranta has attractive evergreen foliage, and some varieties have gold or variegated leaves. A bonus is the appearance of ornamental berries in the fall. In warm areas, the duranta grows quickly into a large shrub or small tree over the course of a few seasons. Duranta plants are easy to grow in warm weather and full sun. They will quickly fill up a blank spot in the garden, and can also serve as a privacy screen in areas where they are winter hardy. In the container garden, you can grow the duranta as a long blooming annual for the patio, or even prune the plant into a topiary tree form.
