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The Spanish shawl (Heterocentron elegans) belongs to the family Melastomataceae. It is an evergreen perennial herb that is distributed Mexico south to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. This herb is creeping on the ground, forms mat and can reach about 5-10 cm in height. The leaves are 1-2 cm long, ovate , entire or with rounded teeth, slightly hairy with trinerve (3 primary veins). The flowers are magenta to mauve, 4-petaled, the petals about 1.5 cm long, and bloom in summer to fall. The anthers of the larger stamens purple, of the smaller stamens yellow. The sepals are covered with hooked hairs.
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