Mussaenda
Family: Rubiaceae
This shrub is sometimes referred to as "Bangkok Rose". It produces a showy display in shades of white, pink, salmon to red over an extended period. Unfortunately, the bushes are not so attractive in winter when they can loose their leaves, at least here in Brisbane. Therefore, they might be best in a mixed garden where other plants can provide interest when the Mussaenda is not in flower.
Bracts or sepals?
The showy part of the Mussaenda flower is composed of enlarged sepals, either white or variously coloured. In a "typical" flower, the petals are the showy component while the sepals (which form the calyx) are usually green and relatively inconspicuous in the open flower.
Sometimes the enlarged sepals of Mussaenda are erroneously referred to as "bracts". Presumably, the confusion arises due to a superficial resemblance to Poinsettia (which belongs to a different family). A bract is a leafy structure which is distinct from the flower proper.
Links
Doñas grace Florikultura '98 Gives some background to the origin of the Doña cultivars. University of the Philipines Newsletter Vol. XXII No.1, January 1998
Rubiaceae Some good close-up photographs illustrating floral structure. University of Hawaii Botany Department, USA
Mussaenda blooms year-round (Discusses production of flowering plants in pots during the dormant season) BAR Research and Development Digest, October-December 2003 Volume 5 No. 4 (Official Quarterly Publication of the Bureau of Agricultural Research, Phillipines)
Pacific flora database of the National Tropical Botanical Garden, USA. Select Mussaenda raiateensis, M. formosa, M. frondosa from the "Choose A Plant" menu
Possible misspellings: Mussayenda, Mussenda, Mussyenda, Mussienda, Musaenda
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