Overview

Introduce a touch of exotic beauty to your home with the exquisite purple star lipstick plant. This particular offering is a healthy, established 6-inch potted live plant, ready to thrive in its new environment. Known botanically as Aeschynanthus radicans ‘Purple Star’, this captivating houseplant derives its common name from the striking, tubular flowers that emerge from dark, lipstick-like buds, creating a truly unique visual display. The ‘Purple Star’ variety is especially prized for its vibrant purple-red blooms and lush, deep green foliage that often has a reddish tint on the undersides. Originating from tropical and subtropical regions, the aeschynanthus live plant is a fantastic choice for hanging baskets or elevated shelves where its elegant, trailing vines can be fully appreciated. It’s a relatively low-maintenance plant that rewards consistent care with abundant flowering and vigorous growth, making it a favorite among both novice and experienced plant enthusiasts looking for an impressive trailing houseplant.

Key Benefits

The purple star lipstick plant offers numerous advantages, making it an excellent addition to any indoor plant collection. Its stunning appearance and relatively easy care regime are just a few of the reasons it’s so popular.

• Stunning Ornamental Appeal: The primary draw of the purple star lipstick plant is its incredibly unique and vibrant purple-red flowers which emerge from dark, tube-like calyces, resembling a tube of lipstick. These blooms provide a spectacular contrast against its glossy, dark green leaves.
• Elegant Trailing Habit: With its long, cascading stems, this plant is perfect for hanging baskets, high shelves, or plant stands, allowing its foliage and flowers to gracefully spill over, creating a lush, living curtain.
• Air Purifying Qualities: Like many houseplants, the Purple Star Lipstick Plant contributes to a healthier indoor environment by helping to filter airborne toxins and improve overall air quality, albeit to a lesser extent than some larger plants.
• Relatively Easy Care: This aeschynanthus live plant is not overly demanding, making it suitable for those who desire a beautiful plant without extensive maintenance. Consistent watering and bright, indirect light are its main requirements.
• Year-Round Interest: While its most prolific blooming typically occurs from spring through fall, with proper care, it can produce sporadic flowers throughout the year, ensuring continuous visual interest.
• Unique Conversation Starter: Its distinctive blooms and elegant form make it an immediate focal point and a fascinating topic of conversation among guests.
• Versatile Decor: Whether your decor is modern, bohemian, or traditional, the striking colors and graceful form of this indoor plant with purple flowers will complement a wide range of interior styles.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your purple star lipstick plant is a rewarding experience that will ensure vibrant blooms and lush foliage. This tropical beauty thrives in conditions that mimic its native habitat. For optimal growth and flowering, providing the right amount of light is crucial. The plant prefers bright, indirect light. Direct, harsh sunlight can scorch its leaves, while too little light will result in sparse flowering and leggy growth. An east or west-facing window is often ideal, or a few feet away from a south-facing window. Rotate your plant occasionally to ensure even growth and light exposure on all sides.

Watering should be consistent but cautious. Allow the top inch or two of the soil to dry out completely between waterings. Overwatering is a common issue that can lead to root rot, so ensure your pot has good drainage. When watering, thoroughly soak the soil until water drains from the bottom, then discard any excess water in the saucer. During its active growing and blooming periods (spring through fall), the plant will require more frequent watering. Reduce watering frequency slightly in winter when growth slows. The lipstick plant care routine also includes providing high humidity, which can be achieved through regular misting, placing the pot on a pebble tray with water, or using a humidifier, especially in dry indoor environments.

The ideal temperature range for the Purple Star Lipstick Plant is between 65-80°F (18-27°C). Avoid exposing it to temperatures below 50°F (10°C) or sudden drafts, as this can stress the plant. Fertilize every 2-4 weeks during the growing season (spring and summer) with a balanced liquid fertilizer diluted to half strength. Reduce or cease fertilization during the fall and winter months. Pruning can be done to maintain a desirable shape, encourage bushier growth, and promote more blooms. Pinch back the stems after flowering to encourage new growth and flower production. This attention to lipstick plant care will ensure your plant remains healthy and beautiful, offering a continuous display of its charming purple-red flowers.

Size & Details

This offering is for one healthy purple star lipstick plant, carefully cultivated and shipped in a 6-inch nursery pot. The plant will arrive established with a robust root system and trailing stems, typically measuring between 8 to 12 inches in length, depending on current growth. The plant’s mature size can reach up to 2-3 feet in length with proper care, making it an impressive display as a trailing houseplant. It exhibits a moderate growth rate, quickly filling out its container and producing abundant foliage and flowers. This aeschynanthus live plant is selected for its vigor and beauty, ensuring you receive a high-quality specimen ready to flourish in your home. Expect to see its distinctive purple-red blooms primarily from spring through fall, though sporadic flowering can occur year-round under ideal conditions. The plant is shipped in its pot with soil, ensuring minimal transplant shock and a smooth transition to its new home.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this plant get? A: The purple star lipstick plant typically has trailing stems that can reach lengths of 2 to 3 feet when mature. The plant we ship is in a 6-inch pot with stems usually 8-12 inches long, ready to grow.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: This is primarily an indoor plant, especially in temperate climates. It thrives as a trailing houseplant given its preference for consistent, warm temperatures and high humidity. It can be moved outdoors in shaded areas during warm summer months in USDA zones 10-11.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: The lipstick plant care routine requires bright, indirect light. Avoid direct, harsh sunlight which can scorch the leaves, and too little light which will reduce flowering.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, the purple star lipstick plant is considered relatively easy to care for, making it suitable for both beginners and experienced plant owners. It requires consistent watering, proper light, and humidity.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your aeschynanthus live plant will arrive established and shipped in its 6-inch nursery pot with soil, carefully packaged to ensure its health and minimize stress during transit.
• Q: How long until it blooms? A: With proper lipstick plant care, your plant can start blooming within a few weeks to months after settling into its new environment, especially during its peak blooming season from spring to fall.
• Q: What’s the best way to ensure it blooms? A: To encourage abundant blooms, provide plenty of bright, indirect light, maintain consistent moisture, ensure good humidity, and fertilize regularly during the growing season. Pruning after flowering also helps.
• Q: Is the soil included? A: Yes, the plant is shipped in its 6-inch nursery pot with its established soil, ensuring it’s ready for its new home upon arrival.
• Q: How often should I water my Purple Star Lipstick Plant? A: Water when the top 1-2 inches of soil feel dry to the touch. This typically means watering every 7-10 days, but it can vary based on humidity and temperature. Always ensure good drainage.
• Q: What is the best soil for an indoor plant with purple flowers? A: A well-draining potting mix that retains some moisture is ideal. A mix formulated for aroids or epiphytes, often containing peat moss, perlite, and bark, works well for this indoor plant with purple flowers.