Ep. 122 - Lipstick Plant

Aeschynanthus Plant Profile

The Lipstick Plant is the very first Gesneriad we discuss on the show, and we both feel that this robust, reliably flowering plant is a great introduction to this amazing family of plants.

Does Stephen admit to liking a flowering indoor tropical? And is Matthew getting too worked up about cultivar confusion? Have you ever thought you didn’t have much to say about a plant, but then you had a LOT of thoughts about them? Well it happened to us this week! And we had a blast.

Mentioned in this episode:

  • how the Lipstick Plant provides a combination of desirable attributes that are extremely uncommon among popular houseplants

  • though widely reported to be an easy-to-grow plant, different varieties might have slightly different needs, which is not commonly reflected in the care guides commonly found online

  • what exactly are we growing when it comes to some of these? The vague botanical and historical details available online don’t give a clear picture of this plant’s background and entry into cultivation, so we make some guesses, and suspect that mislabelling or incorrect identification runs rampant for the Lipstick Plant

And then because Matthew got so worked up about it, we wanted to share this reference and photo from The Gesneriad Reference Web that describes the true Aeschynanthus ‘Black Pagoda’ that is so elusive in Matthew’s plant shopping efforts.

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Ep. 123 - Pygmy Sundew

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Ep. 121 - Mindfulness and Plants