Callisia gentlei var. elegans 'Elegans' (Callisia)

Botanical name: Callisia gentlei var. elegans

Common name: Callisia

Origin: Mexico

Hardiness: 35°F

Callisia gentlei var. elegans (Striped Inch Plant) is a trailing perennial of Commelinaceae native to southern Mexico (Oaxaca, Chiapas), Guatemala, and Honduras. It makes mats or cascading shoots with thick, lance-shaped leaves marked by parallel silver stripes, and it bears small white three-petaled flowers at stem tips; in trade it is also seen as Callisia elegans.

Grow in bright shade to partial shade in a very free-draining mix, water thoroughly and let the top layer dry, and keep slightly on the dry side to prevent rot; stems are brittle but cuttings root easily. Suitable for hanging baskets or as a small groundcover. Outdoors it is best in USDA Zones 10-11 and is frost tender, performing reliably above about 45 F; in cooler regions overwinter containers indoors.