This is a close look at the beautiful Macleania coccoloboides.  This unusual member of the blueberry and Rhododendron family has highly decorative blooms with all the beauty of Christmas ornaments!  Even without its vivid blooms it's an attractive plant, with thick, glossy, Hoya-like leaves and a large, caudex-like base.  The plant comes from mountain cloud forests in Ecuador, where it is rare.  This is a choice collector's plant that is almost never seen for sale.

In the wild, it is found growing on trees as an epiphyte, but also on the ground.  It has long, woody stems that grow mostly sideways 6 to 12 feet in each direction, but you can prune them to any size you need to.  The leaves are exceptionally attractive.  They are thick and leathery, and very large for the genus - about 4 to 5 inches long.  The plant flowers throughout much of the year, with tight clusters of inch-long blooms along the branches.  The bright red blooms are tipped with white, with the white portion tipped in red, creating a nice target for hummingbirds.  Like the leaves, the flowers are thick-textured and durable.  After pollination, it makes decorative lavender berries.  The plant makes a swollen, caudex-like root crown that may be grown partially exposed, if you are a fan of caudexes.

It comes from an area with mild temperatures all year, with cool nights.  I have no information about how much heat it can take, but i suspect it might not like temperatures above the mid-80s, especially if nights are warm (above 64⁰F).  Consider it experimental in warmer climates like Florida.  The root crown probably can survive a few degrees of frost if planted deep, but i recommend protecting the plant from frost.  It grows great indoors at room temperature, where it can bloom almost any time of year.

You can grow it either in a hanging basket or a pot.  It likes a chunky soil mix.  A typical mix is equal parts of potting soil, small orchid bark, and perlite.  Don't add lime to the mix, since this blueberry relative prefers slightly acid soil.  Let it dry out halfway between waterings or keep it evenly moist - just don't keep it constantly soggy.  Over about 40% humidity is best.  In the right conditions, it is easy to grow.

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