Hypoestes

Family: Acanthaceae. Native range - Tropical Africa.

The plant is a branching shrub up to 30–60 cm tall with pubescent shoots. Hypoestes leaves are elliptical, pointed at the ends, petiolate, opposite, up to 4.5 cm long and 2.5 cm wide. The basic leaf background is green or purple, scattered with spots of white, yellow, or pink of various shapes and sizes. In terms of undemanding care, Hypoestes surpasses many other houseplants.

Flowering: June–September.

Temperature: Moderate, in winter not below 12°C.

Lighting: It can adorn a south-facing window or another well-lit place. With insufficient light the coloration of Hypoestes fades, and the stems become overly elongated.

Humidity: Requires frequent misting of the leaves.

Watering: Maintain constant soil moisture. From spring to autumn watering is abundant; in winter—moderate. From excessive dampness or lack of nutrition the edges of the leaves may blacken.

Pruning, pinching: If the stems become leggy, perform a rejuvenating pruning. It is best to do this in spring after stable sunny weather begins.

Propagation: by offsets from late spring to early summer at 21–22°C

Repotting: Hypoestes is not demanding regarding soils. In particular, a mixture of good humus, peat, sod soil, and sand in equal proportions can be recommended.

Pests/Diseases: Affected by whiteflies, aphids.