Lipstick Plants
Posted in: General info, Related topic by weddingcometrue | March 11th 2010 | no comments
To be totally honest I must admit that I would have never thought that there is a plant called ‘lipstick plant’. I suppose that there are many who don’t know this fact either, so let me share with you the information that I have found related to this topic.
The Latin name of the plants is Aeschynanthus and it is a genus that has about 185 species. They are originated from Indonesia, New Guinea and the Philippines. Most of them have flowers that have vivid colors and in the nature they are pollinated by sunbirds. The name of the plants has a meaning that refers to shame, so that it sounds like ‘the flower that should be ashamed’. The more common name is the one that I have already mentioned: ‘lipstick plant’. This is due to the fact that most of the species have flowers that at one certain point of growth resemble the lipstick tube.
Since there are many species we can imagine that their appearance varies. Most of them are climbing epiphytes and because of this when they are kept in the house, they are hanging in baskets. There are some species that are more commonly known, such as the Aeschynanthus lobbianus that has glossy leaves with hard surfaces and the flowers it produces are red in color. They have calyxes of the shape of a tube and their color is also red, but they are darker than the flowers.
Another very popular species is the Aeschynanthus radicans that have leathery leaves and in this case the flowers are scarlet red and unlike the species that I mentioned before, this one has yellows throats. Up to now all the species I have mentioned have red flowers, so it is time to make a change. The Aeschynanthus hildebrandii ahs softer leaves than the other species and the flowers are orange. Even the size can vary from large to small.
We can see that these plants really are diversified and we can imagine that it isn’t too easy to care for them. Here are some tips about how to take care about these exotic plants. As I have already mentioned, most of them are kept in hanging baskets because they are trailing plants. Given the fact that they are tropical plants, it is most natural that they need sunlight, humidity and moisture in order to be able to grow as they should.
If the plants are in the way of direct sunlight, be sure that they are moisturized enough, otherwise the sunlight might damage them. Sings of problems consist of the fact that the leaves fall down or they will get a brown color. These are alarms to tell you that there is something wrong.
It is very easy to love these plants because if they are taken care of properly than they will reward you with some beautiful flowers that will turn your city house into a jungle. Of course not literally, but for sure they will create an exotic atmosphere.