About
An evergreen, rosette-forming, frost-tender perennial to 10cm tall. The almost round, fleshy, hairy leaves up to 8cm long are green above and often reddish-green below and have long stalks. Two to eight violet-blue, tubular flowers up to 2.5cm across are held in loose clusters above the foliage all year-round.
About the genus
Streptocarpus can be annuals, perennials or subshrubs, with usually wrinkled, lance-shaped to rounded leaves and clusters of tubular to trumpet-shaped flowers with 5 spreading lobes, often borne throughout the year
Growing conditions
SunlightPartial shade
Soil typeLoam
Soil pHAcid, Neutral
Soil moistureMoist but well-drained
AspectSouth-facing, East-facing
ExposureSheltered
UK hardinessH1A
Plant details
Plant typeHouseplants, Conservatory Greenhouse
HabitMatforming
FoliageEvergreen
HeightUp to 10 cm
Spread0.1-0.5 metres
Time to full height2-5 years
Suggested usesPatio and container plants
Native toTanzania
Care notes
CultivationGrow as a houseplant in free-draining compost on an east or west-facing windowsill, or grow in a temperate or warm greenhouse in bright filtered light with shade from hot sun. Water sparingly as compost dries in winter and in the growing season water freely allowing compost to dry out between waterings; feed fortnightly with a high-potassium fertiliser. See Streptocarpus cultivation
PruningRemove dead leaves
PropagationPropagate by leaf cuttings in summer
Pest resistanceMay be susceptible to glasshouse leafhoppers, mealybugs, thrips, vine weevil and tarsonemid mite
Disease resistanceMay be susceptible to grey moulds (botrytis) or powdery mildews