Hypoestes aristata (Vahl) Sol. ex Roem. & Schult.
ribbon bush · seeroogblommetjie (Afr.)
Easy, fast shrub with lilac-pink flowers through the cooler months; good for shade.
What’s in the name: Hypoestes: Greek for "under a house", as bracts cover the flower base; aristata: "bristle-tipped".
“Every morning was a cheerful invitation to make my life of equal simplicity, and I may say innocence, with Nature herself.”
— Henry David Thoreau, Walden – Henry David Thoreau, Walden (1854), Project Gutenberg
Available from AVNPlants: see the availability list.
Family
Acanthaceae
Conservation status
Least Concern, SANBI Red List of South African Plants (assessed as Hypoestes aristata (Vahl) Sol. ex Roem. & Schult. var. aristata)
Natural distribution & habitat
Eastern Cape northwards into tropical Africa, in forest, dry thicket and damp spots.
Size & form
Fast-growing shrub up to 1.5 m.
Flowering
May through winter to early spring.
Uses in landscaping
- Low-maintenance shrub for woodland edges and shady beds
Care notes
Water well in summer, less in winter; cut back after flowering. Grows from seed (sow in August, germinates in about three weeks) or cuttings, and often self-seeds.
Wildlife value
Bees, flies and small insects visit, which attracts insect-eating birds such as puffbacks, boubous, barbets, robins and thrushes.
Find out more
Facts checked against: SANBI PlantZAfrica species page 'Hypoestes aristata'; SANBI Red List of South African Plants, Hypoestes aristata (Vahl) Sol. ex Roem. & Schult. var. aristata (assessment 2006/01/19).