About
An evergreen clump-forming perennial with long, thick dark green leaves and long, thin flower stalks which produce dark, velvety plum-red flowers with white edges and a white throat from Spring through to the Autumn. An ideal houseplant.
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, Sand
Soil pHAlkaline, Neutral
Soil moistureMoist but well-drained
AspectSouth-facing, East-facing, West-facing
ExposureSheltered
UK hardinessH1C
Plant details
Plant typeHerbaceous Perennial, Conservatory Greenhouse, Houseplants
HabitClump forming
FoliageDeciduous
Height0.1-0.5 metres
Spread0.1-0.5 metres
Time to full height2-5 years
Suggested usesHouseplants, Patio and container plants
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, preferably from the bottom, 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 faded flower stems
PropagationPropagate by leaf cuttings or by division
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