« | Home | »

Plant Study: Strobilanthes dyerianus ( Persian Shield )

By webmaster | February 10, 2009

Persian shield is an evergreen sub-shrub with soft stems. The leaves have a rippled texture, and are variegated dark green and metallic purplish-pink. The small flowers appear in late spring/early summer and are pale violet, similar to those of the Philippine violet. Persian shield is a native of Myanmar (formerly called Burma).

This plant does well in humid climates in rich, well-drained soil. The plant likes a bright shady location with protection from the hot midday sun in the summer. It does best with morning sun and afternoon shade. Persian shield is difficult to grow indoors, as it needs bright light and humidity.

Persian shield tends to grow tall (3-4 feet), with a 2-3 foot spread. To keep the plant from getting too leggy, pinch back a few times in the first half of the growing season to encourage a fuller branching habit. It is hardy in USDA Zones 9-10. It dies to the ground after frost, but may sprout back in spring in zone 9 and possibly zone 8, especially if the roots are mulched.

Propagation is from stem cuttings taken in spring or summer.

Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Angiosperms
Class: Eudicots
Order: Lamiales
Family: Acanthaceae
Genus: Strobilanthes
Species: dyerianus

Sources:
Floridata
Dave’s Garden
Wikipedia

Topics: Plant Studies | No Comments »

Comments

You must be logged in to post a comment.