I don't know which one you have. There is a group of aeschynanthus with flowers like this, and I don't know how to distinguish their flowers. A. speciosus is a very large growing species--it makes long branches. A. x splendidus is a hybrid of speciosus and another species (parasiticus), and is more compact. A. evardii is a much choicer species, with very thick large leaves, more compact growth, and huge clusters of flowers. A. 'Hot Flash' is a very showy hybrid of evardii. And, finally, in recent years some new hybrids in this group have come over from Europe--and I know very little about them. One is 'Rigel', but there are others as well.

Anyway, what's in a name, anyway! They all grow pretty much the same. They like bright light, and even moisture, a light soil (rather than "loamy"--whatever that is!?). To get them to flower they need to be fertilized and given good steady growth in their summertime growing season. A. speciosus, grown on its own will make very long unbranched stems to four feet or more. But, pinching can disturb flowering if done at the wrong time of the year--i.e. when it is getting ready to flower. They tend to grow by making a length of stem and then setting buds, flowering at the tips, and then resting before putting out another spurt of growth. I have speciosus, parasiticus, and evardii, with the last one being the easiest to flower. A. parasiticus likes cooler conditions; and, in this sub-tropical climate, I grow it outdoors in bright shade. It has smaller flowers than the others, so I can rule out this species as being yours.

Oh, another monster is A. longiflorus (not to be confused with A. longicaulis). It has very long stems and makes very large and mostly red flowers. I have a piece of that one that is surviving. I once bloomed this plant but haven't grown it well enough in a long time--I keep drying it out too severely, and thus, it gets set back. Note: they can tolerate lightly drying out very well, but not long periods without water.

Jon

thanks jon u r very helpful. mine looks more compactish but i have nothing else to compare it with. OH well, like u said wut's in a name? thanks again!

loamy=light soil?

~terry

Hi, Terry:

Try this web site. I find it invaluable when trying to identify gesnariads.

Linda

Here is a link that might be useful: Gesnariad Photo Gallery and Information

umm...linda ur link brings me back to the same page...but thank you!

~terry

Try this site--The Gesneriad Reference Web. It has over 1500 photos of gesneriads. To see the lipsticks, click on genera and then select aeschynanthus. Click on any of the photos to see an enlarged picture plus some information on the plant. There are also articles and other information on gesneriads on the site.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gesneriad Reference Web

Oops, I picked up the wrong URL. Thanks to Jon for helping me during my latest "senior moment." :-)

Linda

thanks jon and linda!

~terry