What are the distinctive characteristics of the lipstick plant? A closer look

Flowers & Gardening Jan 1, 1970 0 views

The lipstick plant, also called lipstick vine, is an evergreen climbing plant in the family Gesneriaceae and the genus Aeschynanthus, also known as flower garland grass and large red aeschynanthus. Lipstick vine is an excellent trailing plant that was only introduced to China in recent years, and both its flowers and leaves have high ornamental value.

Other names for the lipstick plant (lipstick vine)

The lipstick plant, also called lipstick vine, is an evergreen climbing plant in the family Gesneriaceae and the genus Aeschynanthus, also known as flower garland grass and large red aeschynanthus.

The lipstick plant is native to Java, the Malay Peninsula and Kalimantan. In recent years, China has also begun to introduce and cultivate it.

Morphological characteristics of the lipstick plant (lipstick vine)

The lipstick plant is a perennial evergreen climbing plant with an epiphytic habit, often grown in hanging baskets. The leaves are opposite, ovate, elliptic or obovate, leathery and slightly fleshy, 4.5 cm long and 3 cm wide, with entire margins, a prominent midrib and inconspicuous lateral veins, dark green on the upper surface and light green beneath.

The flowers are axillary or terminal in clusters, and the lipstick plant mainly blooms in summer. The flowers are borne in pairs at the tips of the branches on short pedicels, with a corolla red to reddish orange, about 6.5 cm long. The calyx is tubular, dark purple and covered with fine hairs; only when it grows to about 2 cm does the corolla emerge from the mouth of the calyx, tubular and bright red, just like lipstick, which is how the plant got its name.

The stems hang down to about 1 m long. The dark green leaves of the lipstick plant, together with its bright red and unusual corolla, make it very popular. It is an excellent choice among hanging flowering plants for the home.

The value of the lipstick plant (lipstick vine)

Lipstick vine is an excellent trailing plant that was only introduced to China in recent years, and both its flowers and leaves have high ornamental value.

The lipstick plant has a graceful shape with lush stems and leaves. Even more unusual is its red corolla and tubular calyx covered with dark purple fine hairs; only when the calyx grows to about 2 cm does the corolla emerge from its mouth, tubular and bright red, like lipstick, which is how it got its name.

The lipstick plant can be placed on a table or desk, or grown for its trailing display, making it a fashionable choice for home gardening.

How to grow the lipstick plant (lipstick vine)

The lipstick plant likes a warm, bright, semi-shaded environment with plenty of sunlight, and although it enjoys sunlight, it can only take direct sun for at most 2-3 hours a day.

Insufficient light easily causes the branches to grow leggy and makes the plant reluctant to bloom; too much light turns the leaves reddish brown.

When grown indoors, it is best hung about 1 m from a south-facing window, with the indoor daytime temperature kept above 24 degrees and the nighttime temperature at 18-21 degrees.

The potting soil should be loose and well aerated, and kept constantly moist.

After the flowering period, it can be cut back hard once, leaving 15 cm, and given a light application of fertilizer.

Spring cuttings root easily. Grow indoors in pots or as a hanging display. The plant has a graceful shape, lush stems and leaves, and brilliantly colored flowers.

Complete guide to the types of lipstick plant (lipstick vine)

1. Aeschynanthus lobbianus: also called large red aeschynanthus and Lobbs aeschynanthus. It is a perennial climbing plant. The plant is trailing with drooping branches and green stems. The leaves are opposite, long ovate, with entire margins, dark green on the upper surface and light green beneath. The inflorescences are mostly axillary or terminal, the calyx is tubular, dark purple and covered with fine hairs, and the tubular corolla, red to reddish orange, extends from the calyx. It mainly blooms in summer. Aeschynanthus lobbianus is native to the tropical regions from Indonesia to eastern India and is cultivated in China.

2. Zebra lipstick plant: the leaves are ovate, thick and fleshy, opposite, bright green, with regular dark red zebra stripes on the upper surface and purple markings beneath. The flowers are small and pale yellow-green.

3. Slender-sepal lipstick plant: the leaves are bright green and glossy, and the flowers are deep red and tubular.

4. Beautiful lipstick plant: also called emerald lipstick plant, it is a perennial epiphytic evergreen herbaceous plant with creeping, drooping branches and fleshy opposite leaves that are ovate-lanceolate with pointed tips and short stalks. The umbel-like inflorescences are borne at the tips of the stems or in the leaf axils; the small flowers are tubular and curved, orange-yellow, with a green base to the corolla, and the stigma and anthers often extend beyond the corolla. It blooms from July to September and is native to Java and other parts of Southeast Asia; it is cultivated in Taiwan, China and Guangdong, China.