Ixora sp. (Jungle Flame)

Botanical name: Ixora sp.

Common names: Jungle Flame, Needle Flower

Origin: India and tropical Africa

Ixora - from the name of an Indian deity - is a genus with about 400 species, some of which rival Hibiscus as garden shrubs. I.javanica, one of the most often used, is a sizeable shrub with largish, pointed leaves and red-orange or pure red flowers that appear in rounded clusters of as many as sixty at the tips of the branches. I.cocdnea is smaller, with glossy, more ovate leaves; usually red, but there are white, pink, yellow, and orange varieties, and a dwarf often used as a low hedge. I.jinlaysoniana, a native of Thailand, can become a small tree and has large, fragrant, pure white flowers. In full sun or light shade, Ixora flowers almost continuously needing little pruning except for a more formal shape. When grown as a house plant, it needs high humidity, warm temperatures, and exposure to strong light. Propagation is easiest by air-layering.