About
Callisia repens is a tender evergreen perennial that exhibits a creeping growth pattern, producing mats of stems that root at their nodes. The leaves are broadly ovate, somewhat fleshy, and can reach lengths of up to 4 cm. In late spring and early summer, small clusters of white flowers appear in the leaf axils of the upward-growing stems.
About the genus
Callisia consists of evergreen perennials that can either trail or grow in a bushy form. They feature somewhat thickened stems and foliage, along with small flowers that have three petals, typically in white or pink hues.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Partial shade
- Soil type
- Chalk, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Neutral, Alkaline
- Soil moisture
- Well-drained
- Aspect
- East-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H1B
Plant details
- Plant type
- Herbaceous Perennial, Houseplants
- Habit
- Matforming, Trailing
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Height
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Spread
- 0.5-1 metres
- Time to full height
- 5-10 years
- Suggested uses
- Hanging basket, Houseplants, Patio and container plants, Rock garden, Sub-tropical
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Can be grown outdoors where temperatures do not fall below 10°C in winter; more often grown in a hanging basket or container or as a houseplant. Grow in two parts peat-free John Innes No 2 and one part grit, in bright filtered light. Water freely in the growing season and apply a liquid fertiliser monthly
- Pruning
- No pruning required
- Propagation
- Propagate by softwood cuttings, by root cuttings, removing 6-7cm of the root tip in spring, or by division, removing rooted offsets. To produce dense coverage, pot up several cuttings in an 8cm container
- Pest resistance
- Generally pest-free
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free