Aeschynanthus
Encyclopedia
Aeschynanthus is a genus
of ca. 185 species of tropical herb
s. They are found in southern and southeastern Asia
, the islands of Indonesia
, New Guinea
, and the Philippines
. They are usually trailing epiphyte
s with brightly colored flower
s that are pollinated by sunbird
s. 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.
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.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of ca. 185 species of tropical herb
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
s. They are found in southern and southeastern Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, the islands of Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. They are usually trailing epiphyte
Epiphyte
An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone and in the...
s with brightly colored flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s that are pollinated by sunbird
Sunbird
The sunbirds and spiderhunters are a family, Nectariniidae, of very small passerine birds. There are 132 species in 15 genera. The family is distributed throughout Africa, southern Asia and just reaches northern Australia. Most sunbirds feed largely on nectar, but also take insects and spiders,...
s. Among the better known species are Aeschynanthus lobbianus and Aeschynanthus radicans
Aeschynanthus radicans
Aeschynanthus radicans is a vine-like plant native to the humid tropics of the Malay Peninsula south to Java.It is an epiphyte or lithophyte growing to 1.5 m tall, with leathery, green leaves that are 4–8 cm long, ovate to lanceolate, opposite or whorled. The flowers are terminal, tubular,...
. The genus name comes from a contraction
Contraction (grammar)
A contraction is a shortened version of the written and spoken forms of a word, syllable, or word group, created by omission of internal letters....
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
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
(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 radicansAeschynanthus radicansAeschynanthus radicans is a vine-like plant native to the humid tropics of the Malay Peninsula south to Java.It is an epiphyte or lithophyte growing to 1.5 m tall, with leathery, green leaves that are 4–8 cm long, ovate to lanceolate, opposite or whorled. The flowers are terminal, tubular,...
- Aeschynanthus speciosus
Cultivation
They require good lighting and semi-moist, well-drained soilSoil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
conditions to grow, though they vary and some require more moist soil (such as A. hildebrandii). They also prefer warm
Warm
Warm or WARM can refer to:* A somewhat high temperature.* WARM , a radio station licensed to Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States* WARM-FM, a radio station licensed to York, Pennsylvania, United States...
and humid conditions.
Aeschynanthus lobbianus needs high light intensity to induce flowering.