''Aeschynanthus'' is a genus of about 150 species of evergreen

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...

and tropical plants in the family Gesneriaceae. They are usually trailing

epiphyte An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

s with brightly colored flowers that are pollinated by sunbirds. The genus name comes from a

contraction Contraction may refer to: Linguistics * Contraction (grammar), a shortened word * Poetic contraction, omission of letters for poetic reasons * Elision, omission of sounds ** Syncope (phonology), omission of sounds in a word * Synalepha, merged ...

of ''aischuno'' (to be ashamed) and ''anthos'' (flower). The common name for some species is lipstick plant, which comes from the appearance of the developing buds emerging from the calyces. A full list of the accepted species and their synonyms can be found in the Smithsonian Institution's World Checklist of Gesneriaceae. The genus contains a large variety of plants with differing features. Some have thick, waxy cuticles while others have much softer

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

. Species such as '' A. speciosus'' are large where '' A. micranthus'' is much smaller and trailing. Several species are valued in temperate climates as houseplants, notably '' A. longicaulis'', '' A. pulcher'' and '' A. radicans''.

Species

Species include: * '' Aeschynanthus acuminatissimus'' W.T.Wang * '' Aeschynanthus acuminatus'' Wall. ex A.DC. * '' Aeschynanthus albidus'' (Blume) Steud. * '' Aeschynanthus amoenus'' C.B.Clarke * '' Aeschynanthus andersonii'' C.B.Clarke * '' Aeschynanthus angustioblongus'' W.T.Wang * '' Aeschynanthus apicidens'' Hance * '' Aeschynanthus arctocalyx'' Mendum & Madulid * '' Aeschynanthus arfakensis'' C.B.Clarke * '' Aeschynanthus argentii'' Mendum * ''

Aeschynanthus asclepioides ''Aeschynanthus'' is a genus of about 150 species of evergreen subtropics, subtropical and tropics, tropical plants in the family (biology), family Gesneriaceae. They are usually trailing epiphytes with brightly colored flowers that are pollinate ...

Aeschynanthus intermedia ''Aeschynanthus'' is a genus of about 150 species of evergreen subtropical and tropical plants in the family Gesneriaceae. They are usually trailing epiphytes with brightly colored flowers that are pollinated by sunbirds. The genus name comes f ...

Aeschynanthus micranthus ''Aeschynanthus'' is a genus of about 150 species of evergreen subtropical and tropical plants in the family Gesneriaceae. They are usually trailing epiphytes with brightly colored flowers that are pollinated by sunbirds. The genus name comes fro ...

Aeschynanthus pulcher ''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 ...

Aeschynanthus speciosus ''Aeschynanthus speciosus'', also known as the basket plant, is a species of flowering plant in the family Gesneriaceae. There are many species of ''Aeschynanthus'', all of which have long, trailing stems and bright flowers. The large, fleshy, da ...

Cultivation

They require good lighting and semi-moist, well-drained soil conditions to grow, though they vary and some require more moist soil. They also prefer

warm Warm, WARM, or Warmth may refer to: * A somewhat high temperature * Kindness Music * ''Warm'' (The Lettermen album), 1967, and the title song * ''Warm'' (Johnny Mathis album), 1958, and the title song * ''Warm'' (Herb Alpert album), 1969 * '' ...

and

humid Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present. Humidity depen ...

conditions. Aeschynanthus pulcher - JBM.jpg, ''

Species

Cultivation

References

External links