I Speak For The Trees

Evolvulus glomeratus, growing near Malchingui, Pichincha Province.  Nearly everything on the high-elevation mesas of Malchingui hugs the ground, since the wind really whips through the area.  Evolvulus glomeratus, which are Andean natives, are normally a blue flower, but something in the soil chemistry here gives them a purple tint.  They are a full sun plant in the Morning Glory family and will tolerate fairly punishing conditions under which other plants might shrivel up and blow away; in fact they seem to thrive on desert temperatures.  All of the Evolvulus I have seen in Ecuador have been in desert or semidesert biomes.  

The plant itself is a low growing creeper with tiny, ovate to lanceolate deep green leaves which are often covered in a light gray fuzz, providing a natural sunscreen for the plant.  The flowers, although very brightly coloured, are also miniscule, perhaps 2 cm across, and last for only one day.  Cultivars of Evolvulus have become very popular garden plants; in zones colder than 7 or 8, the plant becomes an annual rather than a perennial.