Aeschynanthus

Aeschynanthus
Aeschynanthus speciosus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Gesneriaceae
Genus:	Aeschynanthus Jack
Species
See text.

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Aeschynanthus is a genus of ca. 185 species of tropical herbs. They are found in southern and southeastern Asia, the islands of Indonesia, New Guinea, and the Philippines. They are usually trailing epiphytes with brightly colored flowers that are pollinated by sunbirds. Among the better known species are Aeschynanthus lobbianus and Aeschynanthus radicans. The genus name comes from a contraction of aischuno (to be ashamed) and anthos (flower). The common name for some species is "lipstick plant", which comes from the appearance of the developing buds of some species. A full list of the accepted species and their synonyms can be found in the Smithsonian Institution's World Checklist of Gesneriaceae.

The genus contains a large variety of plants with differing features. Some have thick, waxy cuticles (as in A. lobbianus) others have much softer leaves (as in A. hildebrandii). Species such as A. speciosus are large where A. micranthus is much smaller and trailing.

Selected species

• Aeschynanthus albidus
• Aeschynanthus angustifolius
• Aeschynanthus burttii Mendum
• Aeschynanthus hildebrandii
• Aeschynanthus lobbianus
• Aeschynanthus longiflorus
• Aeschynanthus micranthus
• Aeschynanthus perakensis
• Aeschynanthus radicans
• Aeschynanthus speciosus

Cultivation

They require good lighting and semi-moist, well-drained soil conditions to grow, though they vary and some require more moist soil (such as A. hildebrandii). They also prefer warm and humid conditions. Aeschynanthus lobbianus needs high light intensity to induce flowering.

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  Aeschynanthus pulcher

External links

• Aeschynanthus from The Gesneriad Reference Web
• Aeschynanthus from The Genera of Gesneriaceae
• World Checklist of Gesneriaceae