Houseplant · Gesneriaceae
Lipstick Plant
Aeschynanthus radicans
Give it warmth, bright indirect light, and humid air, and the lipstick plant fires red flowers off a hanging basket for much of the year.
Bright indirect
Every 5–10 days
55–81°F · 13–27°C
USDA 10–11
Overview
The name lands the moment the buds open, as a bright red bloom shoots out of a dark tube exactly like a lipstick out of its case. This trailing tropical belongs to the gesneriad family, cousin to the African violet, and out in the wild it climbs as an epiphyte gripping tree branches across Southeast Asia. Indoors it pours from a hanging basket, glossy leaves racing down stems that stretch 12 to 35 inches (30 to 90 cm) long.
The exotic look sets a high bar, but the plant clears it with barely any effort on your part. Keep it warm, keep the air humid, and let its roots crowd the pot a little. Hit those three marks and it flowers in wave after wave from spring deep into the cooler months.
It also earns a spot in any home packed with pets or small kids. The ASPCA lists it as non-toxic, so hang it where a bold cat or a toddler can reach and let them explore.
Care
The short version: give it bright indirect light, warmth above 55°F (13°C), and humid air, and it takes off. Let the top of the mix dry between drinks, dial the water back in winter to set buds, and feed lightly through spring and summer.
Light
Park it in bright, indirect light near a window but clear of harsh midday sun, which scorches the leaves. It gets by in medium light and partial shade, but push it brighter and the flowers really pile on.
Water
Let the top inch (3 cm) of mix dry before you water again, roughly every 5 to 10 days, and never let it stand in water. Hanging baskets dry out fast, so check them more often. Pull back in winter, since cooler, drier roots are what fire up the flower buds.
Soil
Pot it in a light, fast-draining mix, like African violet soil loosened with sphagnum moss and a bit of crushed charcoal. It grows on tree bark in the wild, so the roots crave air far more than a soggy sit.
Temperature
Hold it between 55°F and 81°F (13°C to 27°C) and keep it off cold glass. Drop into the mid-50s and it starts shedding leaves, and a real chill sets it back hard, so warmth keeps it cruising.
Humidity
It craves high humidity to hit its stride. Cluster it with other plants, set it over a pebble tray, or run a humidifier, but team that moisture with moving air so mold never gets going.
Feeding
Feed every two weeks through spring and summer with a balanced liquid houseplant fertilizer cut to half strength. Cut off feeding in fall and winter while the plant coasts through its rest.
Pruning
Once a flush of flowers fades, chop the stems back to about 6 inches (15 cm) to spark bushy new growth. Trim any straggly stems to roughly 2 inches (5 cm) and keep the whole plant full instead of leggy.
Repotting
Repot only every 2 to 3 years, or when roots crowd the drainage holes. It flowers best slightly pot-bound, so hold off on jumping to a much bigger pot.
Size & spacing
The stems trail 12 to 35 inches (30 to 90 cm) long with a spread of 12 to 24 inches (30 to 60 cm). Hang it in a basket or perch it on a high shelf and let the stems cascade.
Troubleshooting
Nearly every lipstick plant hiccup ties back to the air it lives in, be it a cold draft, dry stale air, or watering that keeps swinging. Spot the early signs and you knock out the cause before the plant sheds much. Match what you see below, then tune its spot or its routine and keep it charging.
Leaves dropping, mostly down at the base
Leaves peeling off near the bottom almost always trace to a chill, so hunt down the cold draft, the frosty winter window, or the AC vent aimed its way. Watering that bounces between bone dry and soggy piles on the stress. Get it into a warm spot above 55°F (13°C), keep the water coming on a steady beat, and it bounces right back.
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 spots creeping across the leaves
Gray fuzz flags botrytis blight, sharp dark patches flag leaf spot, and both barge in when damp air stalls with nowhere to go. Snip off every marked leaf and stem right away, then get a fan or open window pushing the air around. Keep the foliage dry and lifted off the mix, and those spores lose their footing fast.
Fix:
- Remove affected foliage
- Improve air circulation
- Keep leaves dry and off the potting medium
Sticky film, webbing, or tiny bugs on the move
Sticky patches and fine webbing shout aphids, mealybugs, scale, or spider mites, so jump on them early. Flip the leaves and comb the stems where they tuck in, then blast or wipe them off. Chase that with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, and pull the plant aside from the crowd until it comes up clean.
Fix:
- Wipe off or wash off pests
- Treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil
- Isolate the plant until controlled
Toxicity
Here is the win for pet owners and parents: the lipstick plant is safe. The ASPCA lists it as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, and nothing in its leaves or those blazing red flowers will poison an animal or a child. Hang it anywhere you please.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Great news for cat people: the ASPCA marks this plant non-toxic to cats. A nibble might spark a bit of mild stomach upset, like any plant can, but there is zero poison in the mix.
Dogs None
Dogs get the green light too, landing on the ASPCA's safe list. A curious chew brings nothing worse than a little indigestion from the roughage.
Horses None
The ASPCA waves horses through as well. A horse hardly ever crosses paths with a houseplant anyway, and nothing in it is toxic regardless.
Rabbits Safe
Nothing in the lipstick plant will poison a rabbit, so a stray bite is no cause for alarm at all.
Livestock Safe
Grazing animals get no toxic risk from it, though as a tropical houseplant it barely ever lands within their reach.
Birds Safe
Pet birds can share the room without a hitch. The foliage carries no known toxins to bother them.
People Safe
It is safe around kids too. Nobody grows it to eat, but a curious taste will not poison anyone who tries.
Varieties
A handful of named forms turn up in the houseplant trade, splitting mostly on their leaves or their flower color. These are the two to chase down.
'Variegatus' (variegated lipstick plant)
This one ditches the usual solid green and runs leaves brushed with cream to yellow variegation.
Aeschynanthus radicans var. lobbianus
Sold as the red bugle vine, it fires dark red calyces against a red corolla, though taxonomy now folds it in under A. pulcher.
How to propagate
This plant multiplies fast from cuttings, so one thriving basket can spin off a whole batch. Take your cuttings through the warm growing months and they root the quickest.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Spring to summer during active growth · Roots in about two weeks
Turning one plant into many is a blast, and spring or summer is prime time, while the plant charges through active growth and roots fly out fastest. Cut a soft stem with three nodes, strip all but the top 2 to 4 leaves, and dip the cut end in rooting hormone. Sink it into equal parts vermiculite and perlite kept lightly moist, and watch roots break out in about two weeks.
Myths
The lipstick plant is poisonous and unsafe to keep around cats and dogs.
The worry usually springs from those lipstick-red flowers, which look like they must spell trouble. They don't. The ASPCA lists the plant as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, so go ahead and hang this genuinely pet-safe houseplant right where the animals roam.