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Aeschynanthus pulcher

Aeschynanthus pulcher
Photo: M.NABIL, CC BY-SA 4.0

Aeschynanthus pulcher, the lipstick plant, is an epiphytic climber from tropical Asia with bright red tubular flowers that look like lipstick from a tube. Grow it bright and warm with humid air, and it works well in a hanging basket.

Family
Gesneriaceae (African violet family)
Grows as
Climber, Epiphyte, Perennial
Light
Full sun
Water
Keep the mix evenly moist in growing season and let the top dry slightly between waterings; reduce in winter.
Soil
Loose, well-draining epiphyte mix such as orchid bark with peat or coir.
Temperature
18–30 °C; minimum 15–18 °C, protect below 15 °C
How easy
Moderate
Native range
S. Indo-China to W. Malesia
Climate
wet tropical

About

Aeschynanthus pulcher, the lipstick plant or red bugle vine, is a species of evergreen perennial plant in the family Gesneriaceae, native to Indochina and western Malesia. An epiphytic climber, it produces clusters of red flowers from summer to winter. The common name "lipstick plant" refers to the bright red tubular flowers, about 6 cm long, that emerge from a maroon calyx, which resemble lipstick emerging from a tube. The plant may grow 60 cm to 2 meters tall, with an average spread of 50 cm. The leaves are elliptic and are arranged in pairs, with smooth edges.

The specific epithet pulcher means "pretty" or "beautiful", referring to the brilliant red blooms.

Other Aeschynanthus plants

Aeschynanthus buxifolius · Zebra Basketvine

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Aeschynanthus pulcher by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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