Ixora coccinea is a dense, evergreen flowering shrub with scarlet flower clusters produced almost year-round. It thrives in warm, humid, bright conditions and is widely grown as a hedge, specimen, or container plant.
Family
Rubiaceae (Coffee family)
Grows as
Shrub
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Keep soil evenly moist during growth and let the top layer dry slightly between waterings.
Soil
Well-drained, slightly acidic, fertile potting mix or garden soil enriched with organic matter.
Temperature
18–32 °C; protect below 10 °C
How easy
Moderate
Safety
Not toxic to cats or dogs (ASPCA).
Native range
W. & S. India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh to Indo-China
Climate
wet tropical
About
Ixora coccinea (also known as jungle geranium, flame of the woods or jungle flame or pendkuli) is a species of flowering plant in the family Rubiaceae. It is a common flowering shrub native to Southern India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. It has become one of the most popular flowering shrubs in South Florida gardens and landscapes. It is the national flower of Suriname.
How to grow it
Although there are around 500 species in the genus Ixora, only a handful are commonly cultivated, and the common name, Ixora, is usually used for I. coccinea. I. coccinea is used in warm climates for hedges and screens, foundation plantings, massed in flowering beds, or grown as a specimen shrub or small tree. In cooler climate, it is grown in a greenhouse or as a potted house plant requiring bright light. I. coccinea is also grown in containers, looking very distinguished as a patio or poolside plant. This tight, compact shrub is much branched and tolerates hard pruning, making it ideal for formal hedges, although it is at its best when not sheared.
There are numerous named cultivars differing in flower colour (yellow, pink, orange) and plant size. Several popular cultivars are dwarfs, usually staying under 3 ft (0.91 m) in height. Nora Grant is a popular dwarf and Super King is a popular hybrid with much larger flower clusters. Many new cultivars and hybrids of I.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Ixora coccinea 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.