Houseplant · Gesneriaceae
Lipstick Plant
Aeschynanthus radicans
With warmth, bright indirect light, and humid air, the lipstick plant drapes red flowers from a hanging basket and dresses a room for much of the year.
Bright indirect
Every 5–10 days
55–81°F · 13–27°C
USDA 10–11
Overview
The lipstick plant takes its name from a small piece of theater: a red flower rising from a dark tube the way a lipstick rises from its case. It belongs to the gesneriad family alongside the African violet, and it makes its living in the wild as an epiphyte on Southeast Asian trees. At home it becomes a living cascade, its glossy trails running 12 to 35 inches (30 to 90 cm) from a basket and softening a hard edge of shelf or ceiling.
For all its exotic air, it settles into daily life without fuss. It asks for warmth, for humid rooms, and for roots kept a touch snug, and in return it flowers on and off from spring into the cooler months. That makes it a natural for a bright bathroom, a busy kitchen corner, or a sunroom where the mood leans lush and the eye is glad of something overhead.
It suits a home shared with animals or small children just as easily. The ASPCA lists it as non-toxic, so it can hang in a lived-in family space, within reach of a cat or a curious toddler, and simply be enjoyed.
Care
The short version: style it in bright indirect light, keep the room warm above 55°F (13°C), and lean into humid air. Let the top of the mix dry between waterings, hold back in winter to coax buds, and feed lightly through spring and summer.
Light
Place it in bright, indirect light near a window but out of the harsh midday sun that scorches the leaves. It tolerates medium light and partial shade, so it works in a softly lit corner, though a brighter spot rewards the room with more flowers.
Water
Let the top inch (3 cm) of mix dry before watering again, on a roughly 5 to 10 day rhythm, and never leave it standing in water. A hanging basket dries faster up in the air, so look in on it more often. Ease off in winter, since cooler, drier roots are what set the flower buds.
Soil
Give it a light, fast-draining mix, such as African violet soil opened up with sphagnum moss and a little crushed charcoal. It grows on tree bark in the wild, so the roots prize air over lasting moisture.
Temperature
Keep the room between 55°F and 81°F (13°C to 27°C) and the plant away from cold glass. Below the mid-50s it begins dropping leaves, and a real chill sets it back, so a steadily warm living space suits it best.
Humidity
It looks its best in high humidity, which makes a bright bathroom or a plant-filled corner a fitting home. Cluster it with other greenery, rest it over a pebble tray, or run a humidifier, but keep the air gently moving so mold never takes hold.
Feeding
Feed every two weeks through spring and summer with a balanced liquid houseplant fertilizer at half strength. Set the feeding aside in fall and winter while the plant rests.
Pruning
When a flush of flowers fades, cut the stems back to about 6 inches (15 cm) to bring on bushy new growth. Trim any straggly stems to roughly 2 inches (5 cm) so the basket reads full and shapely rather than sparse.
Repotting
Repot only every 2 to 3 years, or when roots crowd the drainage holes. It flowers best a little pot-bound, so keep the same handsome basket rather than sizing up too soon.
Size & spacing
Its stems trail 12 to 35 inches (30 to 90 cm) with a spread of 12 to 24 inches (30 to 60 cm). A hanging basket or a high shelf gives the trails room to fall and frame the space below.
Troubleshooting
Nearly every setback with a lipstick plant traces to the atmosphere of the room it lives in, whether a cold draft, still dry air, or watering that never finds a rhythm. Notice the first signs and the cause is easy to correct before the display thins. Find the symptom below, then rethink its place in the room or its routine.
Leaves letting go, mostly toward the base
When a lipstick plant sheds leaves near the bottom, a chill is the usual culprit, so look to a cold draft, a winter windowsill, or an air conditioning vent it happens to sit beside. Watering that lurches from parched to soggy only deepens the loss. Give it a warm, settled corner above 55°F (13°C) and a steady watering habit, and its looks will return.
Fix:
- Move to a warm spot away from drafts and cold glass
- Keep temperatures above about 13°C (55°F)
- Water consistently so the medium stays evenly moist but not soggy
Gray fuzz or dark blemishes on the foliage
A gray fuzzy bloom signals botrytis blight, while defined dark marks point to leaf spot, and both settle in wherever humid air lingers without a breath of movement. Trim away the marred foliage and let fresh air circulate around the display. Keep the leaves dry and clear of the potting surface, and the spores find no place to take hold.
Fix:
- Remove affected foliage
- Improve air circulation
- Keep leaves dry and off the potting medium
A sticky sheen, webbing, or tiny insects appearing
A tacky film or a veil of webbing usually means aphids, mealybugs, scale, or spider mites have moved in. They favor the stems and the hidden undersides of leaves, so start your search there, then wash or wipe them clear. A treatment of insecticidal soap or horticultural oil follows, and setting the plant apart from the rest keeps the trouble from spreading through the room.
Fix:
- Wipe off or wash off pests
- Treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil
- Isolate the plant until controlled
Toxicity
For a household with pets or children, the news is reassuring: the lipstick plant is safe. The ASPCA lists it as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, and neither the foliage nor those red flowers will poison an animal or a child. Hang it wherever it flatters the room.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
The ASPCA lists this plant as non-toxic to cats, so it earns a place in a home shared with one. A stray nibble might bring a moment of mild stomach upset, as any greenery can, but nothing poisonous is at play.
Dogs None
It sits on the ASPCA's safe list for dogs. Should a curious one take a chew, expect nothing beyond a passing bit of indigestion from the roughage.
Horses None
The ASPCA extends the same clearance to horses. A horse is an unlikely visitor to a hanging basket, and either way nothing in it is toxic.
Rabbits Safe
Nothing in the lipstick plant is poisonous to a rabbit, so a stray bite is no cause for alarm in a home that keeps one.
Livestock Safe
It carries no toxic risk for grazing animals, though as a tropical houseplant it lives well out of their world.
Birds Safe
A pet bird can share the same room in comfort, since the foliage holds no known toxins to trouble it.
People Safe
It is safe around children. No one grows it for the table, yet a curious taste will poison no one who reaches for it.
Varieties
A few named forms circulate in the houseplant trade, parting mostly in leaf or flower color and in the mood each brings to a room. These are the two you are most likely to find.
'Variegatus' (variegated lipstick plant)
This form swaps the familiar solid green for foliage touched with cream to yellow variegation, a softer note for a lighter room.
Aeschynanthus radicans var. lobbianus
Offered as the red bugle vine for its dark red calyces against a red corolla, it now sits under A. pulcher in updated taxonomy.
How to propagate
A single well-grown basket is enough to style several corners, since the plant roots easily from cuttings. Begin during the warm growing months, when roots come along fastest.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Spring to summer during active growth · Roots in about two weeks
One handsome basket can furnish several more, and spring or summer is the moment to begin, while the plant is in active growth and roots come quickest. Take a soft stem with three nodes, remove all but the top 2 to 4 leaves, and dip the cut end in rooting hormone. Settle it into equal parts vermiculite and perlite kept lightly moist, and roots should appear in about two weeks.
Myths
The lipstick plant is poisonous and unwise to display near cats and dogs.
The unease tends to trace back to its lipstick-red flowers, which simply look the part of something forbidden. They are nothing of the kind. The ASPCA lists the plant as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, making it a genuinely pet-safe houseplant you can hang in a shared living space without hesitation.