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Victoria cruziana can be grown in cooler waters than its sister within the genus, the more familiar giant waterlily Victoria amazonica.

An outstanding and exotic looking, fast growing vine that produces masses of fragrant flowers carried in bold clusters around strong 6" - 8" stems. The large, spiraling flowers are extremely attractive and create an on-going display all summer long. The flowers show up especially well set against the handsome mid-green foliage. This rare and unusual vine is ideal grown over a fence, trellis or arbor and can be used over lattice work to create shade for a deck or patio. It can even be grown in containers over a support. The most out-standing and floriferous member of this family. The flowers are quite fragrant and are mostly pollinated by ants - if you have no ants, you'll have no pods and therefore no seeds.

Also called "Phaseolus giganteus" (a horticultural name)

Virgilia divaricata and V. oroboides

are very similar and are often confused with each other. V. divaricata has 5-9 pairs of leaflets plus a terminal one, whereas V. oroboides has 6-12 pairs of leaflets plus the terminal leaflet. The leaflets have entire margins and the stipules fall early. V. oroboides leaflets are smaller and greyish green in color and are densely covered in velvety hairs, whereas those of V. divaricata are green and almost hairless.

Virgilia oroboides is a beautiful tree, suitable for both the domestic garden and big landscapes. It is fast-growing, beautiful in flower and has an attractive growth form.

The flowers of both species are rich in nectar and attract many insects and birds, such as sunbirds, carpenter bees, honey bees and ants.

The name Chaste tree for this species comes from a species of southern Europe,Vitex agnus-castus, where it was treated by ancients as a symbol of chastity and long ago discussed in this regard by Pliny the Elder. Puriri does not mean that the species from New Zealand is pure, but coincidentally a tree along the coast near the Bay of Plenty is treated as sacred by the Maori people; they claim that the remains of important ancestors repose in large cavities within its roots.