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Columnea arguta (Lipstick Plant)

Welcome to the spectacular Columnea arguta!  This super-showy African Violet relative makes cascading chains of leaves decorated with gigantic, scarlet & yellow blooms.  The shoots of this species can grow impressively long - to 6 feet or more!  This is a hard to find plant, but it's easy to grow when given the right conditions.

Columnea arguta (Lipstick Plant)

Columnea arguta is found in Central and South America, where it grows as an epiphyte on trees.  It looks terrific when grown in a hanging planter, but it may also be grown along a wall, waterfall, etc.  The chains of succulent, teardrop-shaped leaves grow pretty rapidly and may be pruned to any length you wish.  The blooms appear in waves from the older sections of stems.  At 3 inches long, they are surprisingly large, especially compared to the small leaves.  The reddish-orange blooms have 4 yellow markings, and are followed by attractive, white berries surrounded by red bracts.  You can cross-breed it with some other Columneas, to create great new hybrids!

Columnea arguta (Lipstick Plant)

This is a tropical species that wants mild to warm conditions all year.  It grows well for me indoors with day temperatures in the mid-70s (24°C) and nights in the mid-60s (18°C).  It probably will be unhappy below 50° F (10°C), and i doubt it can survive frost.  It likes bright, filtered light, with protection from strong sun.  Give it a loose soil mix that's kept evenly moist, but not constantly soggy.  A typical soil mix is 2 parts perlite to 1 part coir fiber or peat moss.  Or use equal parts of potting soil and fine-grade orchid bark.  Over 50% humidity is best for this rainforest species.

Columnea arguta (Lipstick Plant)

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