The bluish-green leaves are borne opposite on thin flexible branches. Young branches are dark red due to fine trichomes. As the branches age, they turn light green as the trichomes are shed.

The sunny yellow flowers are arranged in terminal racemes. Each flower has five sepals, five petals, ten stamens and three styles. Five of the stamens are on long filaments and 5 on short. After anthesis, the stamens are lost and the three styles turn red. The fruit is a three-parted capsule, but the plant has a low reproductive rate so capsules are seldom produced.

The genus Galphimia is in the Malpighiaceae, the Barbados cherry family, and is closely allied to the genus Malpighia. Galphimia consists of about 10 species. Over the past 200-plus years, some of the species were placed in the genus, Thryallis (hence one of the common names) and most received multiple names when different botanists 'discovered' them—a true taxonomist's nightmare!

Antonio José Cavanilles established the genus Galphimia in 1799. Certainly, he would know that the genus was closely allied to the Barbados cherry (Malpighia glabra Linnaeus). Perhaps he simply could not think of a name for the genus or, maybe, he had a weird sense of humor. Look closely at the generic names. Galphimia and Malpighia are anagrams.

(Compiled from: "Galphimia", Hortus Third, Staff L.H. Bailey Hortorium, NY State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Macmillan, NY, 1976; W3Tropicos Nomenclatural Data Base, J. Solomon, Missouri Botanical Garden, 2007; "Galphimia glauca", Kemper Center for Home Gardening, Missouri Botanical Garden, 2001-2007; and personal observations)