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Lophospermum erubescens
Also called Creeping Gloxinia, Climbing Gloxinia
Mexican twist is a climbing or sprawling tuberous perennial from the mountains of Mexico, grown for its tubular pink, white or other coloured flowers that bloom from spring into winter. It climbs by twining leaf stalks and is best grown in a frost-free spot, with its base and roots protected in cold weather.
Lophospermum erubescens, known as Mexican twist or creeping gloxinia, is a climbing or sprawling herbaceous perennial plant, native to the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains of Mexico, where it is found along forest margins or canyon walls. It climbs by means of twining leaf stalks. Wild plants have pink and white tubular flowers, although other colours are found in cultivation. It has been cultivated as an ornamental plant since at least 1830. Although not frost-hardy, it will survive if its base and roots are protected from freezing in the winter. It has escaped from cultivation and become naturalized in tropical and subtropical areas of the world.
Lophospermum erubescens has been confused with Lophospermum scandens, partly because the earliest illustration of L. erubescens was labelled as L. scandens. Among other differences, L. erubescens has a more climbing habit than L.
Lophospermum erubescens has been in cultivation since it was first formally described in 1830. Joseph Paxton wrote in 1836 that it was "a very fine creeper, and deserves growing by every lover of plants." Growing to 2 m (7 ft) or more, it has been described as "easy" to grow in a frost-free location. In areas subject to frost, it will survive if cut down to near ground level and the base and roots protected from freezing over winter. Propagation is by seed or cuttings. In cultivation, forms with all-white flowers are known, including the cultivar 'Bridal Bouquet'.
In horticulture, it is often given names in the genus Maurandya, as noted for example in the RHS Horticultural Database. However, Lophospermum and Maurandya are now regarded as distinct. Maurandya has smooth rather than hairy leaves with entire rather than toothed margins, and smaller flowers with a tube at most about 30 mm (1.2 in) long.
Lophospermum erubescens is native to the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains of Mexico where it is found at elevations between 1,000 and 2,200 m (3,300 and 7,200 ft). It grows in the margins of seasonally dry oak or oak-Liquidambar forests, including forest edges created by roads, or on canyon walls.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Lophospermum erubescens 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.
