Scientific Name:
Strobilanthes dyerianus
Pronunciation:
stroh-bil-AN-theez dy-er-ee-AN-us
Common Name:
Persian shield
Family Name:
Acanthaceae
Plant Type:
Annual (grown as), Indoor foliage plant
Key ID Features:
Leaves opposite, most ovate-lanceolate, 8-12(-20)cm long x 4-7(-10), mature with bright, metallic-purple stripes radiating outward from the central leaf vein.
Habit:
Upright
Form:
Mounded
Texture:
Medium - coarse
Mature Height:
0.7 - 1.3m
Mature Spread:
0.6 - 1.0m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
S.E. Asia / Japan / China (Myanmar)
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 9: (-7 to -1 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun only if soil kept moist, Part sun/part shade, Filtered shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Landscape Uses:
Bedding plant, Container planting, Indoor plant
Additional Info:
Google. (Award of Garden Merit, RHS)
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Opposite
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Colour in Summer:
Dark-green, Pink, Purple, Dark-red, Silver / Grayish
Shapes:
Elliptic, Lanceolate, Ovate
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Attenuate
Margins:
Serrate
Additional Info:
Leaves variegated, upto 20cm long
Inflorescence Type:
Spike
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Funnelform
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, Blue, Violet (pale blue)
Flower Time at Peak:
Feb, Mar, Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
May only occur on indoor plants
Fruit Type:
Capsule
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Nov, Dec
Additional Info:
Fruit insignificant, Locally, may only form on indoor plants; 4 seeded
Bark Morphology:
Smooth
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green
Propagation:
Seed, Softwood cuttings
Pest Susceptibility:
Mites, Root rot (Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Deer resistant)
