[3] Selloana is named for Friedrich Sellow (1789–1831), a German botanist[3] and naturalist[citation needed] from Potsdam who worked as a plant collector in Brazil.

[citation needed] The native range of C. selloana includes Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

This region is dominated by tropical forests and grasslands, but C. selloana is typically restricted to moist soil within riparian areas.

[5] Several cultivars are available, of which the following have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit: Okada et al., 2007 find C. selloana populations are best distinguished by a Bayesian analysis of genetic features such as microsatellites.

[14] Several media outlets reported in the 2010s that it was planted by some couples who practise swinging in the United Kingdom as a way to indicate to other swingers that they enjoy that lifestyle.

[15][16] The reports caused a plunge in already declining sales, but the odd association has been dismissed by enthusiasts of the plant and gardening experts as "silly".