Appearance
"Thunbergia alata" has a vine habit, and can grow to a height of 6–8 ft in tropical zones, or much less as a container plant or as an annual. It has twining stems with heart or arrow-shaped leaves. The flowers have five petals and appear throughout the growing season. They typically are warm orange with a characteristic dark spot in the centre, although different varieties can be red, orange, red-orange, white, pale yellow, or bright yellow, with or without the characteristic chocolate-purple centre which inspires the common name.
Naming
It is grown as an ornamental plant in gardens and in hanging baskets. The name 'Black-eyed Susan' is thought to have come from a character that figures in many traditional ballads and songs. In the "Ballad of Black-eyed Susan" by John Gay, Susan goes aboard a ship in-dock to ask the sailors where her lover Sweet William has gone. Black-eyed Susan is also a name given to other species of flowers in the genus "Rudbeckia".References:
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