What plant is the lipstick flower? Get to know this climbing flowering plant

Alternative names of the lipstick flower (lipstick spider plant)

The lipstick flower, also called lipstick spider plant, is an evergreen climbing plant in the family Gesneriaceae and the genus Aeschynanthus, also known as Huamancao and Da Hong Mang Mao Ju Tai.

The lipstick flower is native to Java, the Malay Peninsula and Borneo, and in recent years China has also begun to introduce and cultivate it.

Morphological characteristics of the lipstick flower (lipstick spider plant)

The lipstick flower is a perennial evergreen climbing plant with an epiphytic habit, often grown in hanging baskets. The leaves are opposite, with leaf blades ovate, elliptic or obovate, leathery and slightly succulent, 4.5cm long and 3cm wide, with entire margins, a prominent midrib and inconspicuous lateral veins; the leaf surface is deep green and the underside pale green.

The flowers are axillary or clustered at the tips, and the flowering period of the lipstick flower is mainly 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 6.5cm long. The calyx is tubular, dark purple and covered with fine hairs; when it grows to about 2cm, the corolla emerges from the mouth of the calyx, tubular and bright red, just like lipstick, hence the name.

The stems trail down to about 1 meter long. The deep green leaves of the lipstick flower paired with its bright red and unusual corolla make it much loved by people. It is an excellent choice among hanging flowering plants for the home.

The value of the lipstick flower (lipstick spider plant)

The lipstick spider plant is an excellent hanging plant that was only introduced to China in recent years, and both its flowers and leaves have high ornamental value.

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

The lipstick flower can be placed on a table or displayed as a hanging plant, and is a fashionable excellent choice for home flower growing.

How to grow the lipstick flower (lipstick spider plant)

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

Insufficient light easily causes the branches to grow leggy and makes flowering difficult; too strong light turns the leaves reddish-brown.

When grown indoors, it is best hung about one meter from a south-facing window, keeping the indoor temperature above 24 degrees during the day, with a nighttime temperature of 18 to 21 degrees.

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

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

Spring cuttings root easily. Grown indoors in pots or as a hanging display. The plant shape is graceful, the stems and leaves are lush, and the flower color is brilliant.

Complete list of lipstick flower (lipstick spider plant) varieties

1.           Aeschynanthus lobbianus: also called Da Hong Mang Mao Ju Tai and Luo Bu Shi Mang Mao Ju Tai. It is a perennial climbing plant. The plant trails, with drooping branches and green stems. The leaves are opposite, long ovate and entire, with a deep green leaf surface and pale green underside. The inflorescences are mostly axillary or terminal; the calyx is tubular, dark purple and covered with fine hairs, and the corolla is tubular, red to reddish-orange, extending out from the calyx. The flowering period is mainly in summer. Aeschynanthus lobbianus is native to the tropical regions from Indonesia to eastern India, and is introduced and cultivated in China.

2.           Aeschynanthus marmoratus: the leaves are ovate, thick, opposite, jade green in color, with regular dark red zebra stripes on the surface and purple markings on the underside. The flowers are small and pale yellow-green.

3.           Aeschynanthus micranthus: the leaves are jade green and glossy, and the flowers are deep red and tubular.

4.           Aeschynanthus speciosus: also called Cui Jin lipstick flower, it is a perennial epiphytic evergreen herbaceous plant with creeping, drooping branches and opposite succulent leaves that are ovate-lanceolate with pointed tips and short petioles. The umbel inflorescences are borne at the stem tips 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. The flowering period is July to September; it is native to Java and other places in Southeast Asia, and is cultivated in Taiwan, China and Guangdong, China.

Appreciation of lipstick flower (lipstick spider plant) pictures