Aeschynanthus 'Japhrolepis' – Lipstick Plant with red flowers

Aeschynanthus 'Japhrolepis', commonly known as Lipstick Plant or Lipstick Vine, is a trailing tropical plant appreciated for its dense, glossy foliage and intense red tubular flowers, which appear at the tips of the shoots and resemble the shape of a lipstick.

It is an Aeschynanthus cultivar with a lush, elegant growth habit, highly suitable for hanging baskets, high shelves, or supports from which the shoots can trail naturally. The RHS describes it as an evergreen tropical cultivar with glossy, lanceolate leaves and red tubular flowers, produced mainly from summer to autumn.

🌿 Botanical characteristics

• Horticultural name: Aeschynanthus 'Japhrolepis'

• Family: Gesneriaceae

• Common names: Lipstick Plant, Lipstick Vine

• Plant type: perennial tropical, epiphytic plant grown for its foliage and flowers

• Growth habit: trailing, branching

• Leaves: lanceolate, glossy, leathery, deep green

• Flowers: tubular, red, clustered at the tips of the shoots

• Blooming: mainly in summer and autumn, under favorable conditions

• Mature size: can reach approximately 50–100 cm in length or spread, depending on growing conditions

• Uses: hanging baskets, shelves, tall supports, and tropical plant collections

☀️ Growing conditions and care

• Light: prefers bright, indirect light; a few hours of gentle morning or evening sun can be tolerated, but intense direct sunlight may scorch the leaves

• Watering: moderate and regular; allow the substrate to dry out partially between waterings, without keeping it permanently waterlogged

• Substrate: airy, rich in organic matter, and very well drained

• Humidity: appreciates moderate to high atmospheric humidity

• Temperature: prefers approximately 18–24°C, with protection from cold and cold drafts

• Ventilation: good air circulation is important, especially in high-humidity conditions

• Fertilization: moderate during the active growing and flowering period

• Pruning: the shoots can be shortened after flowering to encourage branching and maintain a compact growth habit

• Cold tolerance: does not tolerate frost and is grown as an indoor plant in Romania's climate

Is Aeschynanthus a cactus? No. It is an epiphytic tropical plant from the Gesneriaceae family that grows on trees in its natural habitat and benefits from a very airy substrate and good humidity, without standing water. 

🌱 Secret Garden substrate recommendation

👉 For optimal development, we recommend Secret Garden Professional Substrate for Anthurium & Hoya, an airy, well-drained mix suitable for epiphytic and tropical plants sensitive to excess water. Its structure provides good root aeration and retains sufficient moisture without keeping the substrate compact or permanently wet.

➡️ View the product: https://secretgarden.ro/products/substrat-hoya-anthurium

✨ What makes it special

• distinctive red tubular flowers

• trailing growth habit, ideal for hanging baskets

• dense, glossy, decorative foliage throughout the year

• spectacular contrast between the dark green leaves and red flowers

• can flower abundantly in good light conditions

• suitable for high shelves and tropical arrangements

• the shoots become fuller and more branched with light pruning

• a cultivar appreciated for its compact, lush appearance

📌 Note

The plant's appearance may vary depending on the season, shoot length, and flowering stage. The leaves may have small spots, bends, dry edges, or other cosmetic imperfections resulting from growth, handling, and transport. These characteristics do not normally affect the plant's viability.

Height including pot: 15 cm