Lysionotus pauciflorus

Lysionotus pauciflorus is a beautiful perennial or understorey shrub of Vietnamese origin, often epiphytic in its natural environment. This relative of Gloxinias and saintpaulias flower in late summer and autumn, in the form of clusters of white-blue lavender tubular flowers, striated with purple at the throat, which rise above a beautiful tuft of small dark green foliage on top. This plant, often cultivated indoors, also withstands our normal winters quite well, in well-drained soil. Colonizing the soil thanks to long suckers, it eventually forms beautiful carpets in the undergrowth, or pretty trailing cascades on a vegetated and suspended wall.

Lysionotus pauciflorus is a plant from the Gesneriaceae family originating from Southeast Asia, particularly Vietnam, and also found in China and Japan. It is found in forest soil, clinging to rocks, cliffs or tree bark, in hilly or mountainous regions, at an altitude between 300 and 2200 m (984 ft 4 in and 7217 ft 10 in). This stoloniferous perennial forms an undershrub that can reach 40 cm (15.7 in) to 1 m (3 ft 4 in) in all directions, depending on the growing conditions. The plant forms stems that can reach 1 m (3 ft 4 in) in length. Its small leaves, 3x1cm (0.4 in), leathery and evergreen in mild climates, are finely dentate and shiny dark green on top whilst light green and matte on the underside. Flowering occurs during summer, depending on the climate, and lasts until autumn. The elongated and tubular flowers, 5 cm (2 in) long, are grouped in cymes of 3 to 12 flowers. Their colour is a white with pink-mauve or lavender, and they reveal a throat striated with purple, sometimes marked with yellow.

In our garden, Lysionotus pauciflorus grows in a cool rockery on the edge of the undergrowth. With average hardiness ,-10°C (14 °F), it can completely disappear during a harsh winter but never dies completely, as its rhizomes slide under the rocks and are protected from the cold.  The plant may take a few months to reappear in spring. It can be associated with Corydalis, lungworts, Polygonum prostratum or ivy-leaved toadflax. The plant performs very well in pots, in an acidic and cool substrate, and is ideal on a vegetated wall in the company of Anthurium, Asparagus, creeping Ficus, Calathea, Fittonia, Maranta, Syngonium...