Streptocarpella are a sub-genus of streptocarpus. They are easy to grow, produce an abundance of blue flowers on wiry stems that seem to float airily over the foliage. Pinching helps to keep the plant attractive. Hummingbirds love them! Related to African violet and enjoys similar conditions. Small, tender basket plant, quickly grows to eight inches tall with a spread of 12 inches across. It branches freely and produces soft, velvety green leaves that are about two inches long. From nodes along the stem the plant produces an array of slender, almost wiry, four inch long scapes which terminate in three to five flowers which gracefully float above the foliage. The flowers are an inch long with a narrow tube which splays out at the end into a slanted, pansy-like face with five lobes. should be grown in a well drained, organic potting mix in either a hanging basket, window box or decorative container. While not a heavy feeder, it should be fertilized periodically to keep it growing and flowering. It is best situated in a bright location where it gets good light but not direct sun. Like all gesneriads it should have uniformly moist conditions. This plant not only will perform well on the patio or porch during the summer months, it will continue to bloom all winter long as a houseplant. In the winter give it an east or south window to assure it gets enough light to continue blooming. It is easy to propagate by terminal cuttings.

Streptocarpus have shallow root systems and are best grown in wide shallow pots using a well-drained soil-less compost.

Keep in good light but not exposed to hot sun which can cause leaf scorch. An east or west-facing windowsill is best in summer; in winter move to a south-facing position.

To increase humidity in drier surroundings stand the pots on saucers of pebbles kept moist, but do not allow the water to reach the base of the pot.

Overwatering and/or too dense a soil mix. This is really the only way one can kill most modern streptocarpus hybrids. Streps almost always will recover from lack of water, even when almost totally limp, but can be killed by continual overwatering. For this same reason, a lighter soil mix is always preferred over a heavy one.

A spectacular bloomer, it is a rambling perennial vine that without support will grow 4-6 feet tall and wide. It is great for containers, hanging baskets, or as a ground cover in Southern landscapes. Oval-shaped evergreen leaves with a wrinkled appearance clothe the sprawling branches. A bountiful of orange, bell-shaped flowers bloom at the terminal ends of the branches in the spring and summer. Best in sun or part shade with regular watering. The shrub is evergreen and striking in any position, especially spilling over walls and lining garden stairs. It is somewhat frost tender though, and needs a protected position, or cut back before cold weather.

Frost tender, evergreen sub-shrub with unequal pairs of lance-shaped, toothed leaves, the longer to 9cm long, and tubular blue flowers, borne in cone-shaped inflorescences in spring and winter.

Spectacular plant with unique foliage with 6" ovate leaves variegated with iridescent shades of blue, purple and silver. 1" violet flowers in terminal spikes. Height to 3'. Grows best in partial sun to shade, great for containers or the garden for tropical effect! Needs to be pruned (otherwise becomes leggy).

Impressively statured herbaceous shrub with thickened veins and bright pink flowers. Very showy and useful plant. The leaves contain 0.4 - 1.3 1ndican, which can be hydrolyzed and oxidized to produce the classic Blue Indigo Dye. A dark Blue dye is obtained from the twigs. It is combined with Turmeric (Curcuma longa) to make Green, and with Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) to make Purple. The source of famous dye Assam Indigo, it was formerly cultivated on quite a large scale as a dye plant in China and India. Fresh juice from the leaves is used on Okinawa Island, Japan as a popular remedy for athlete's foot.

See Article about this plant: Strobilanthes, Chinese Rain Bell - a source of Blue, Green, and Purple.

Strobilanthes hamiltoniana is similar to Strobilanthes flaccidifolius.

Stromanthe genus contains two species grown indoors. S. amabilis and S. sanguinea.

S. amabilis has compact leaves which are 15-25cm long and 5cm wide. S. sanguinea has larger glossy leaves which are up to 30 to 50cm long and around 10cm wide. Both have a creeping rhizome (a thicken stem which grows hoizontally below or on the soil surface) and produce fanlike sprays of leaves. Water moderately, mist often as needs humidity. Enjoys a medium light.

Flowers have a beautiful seagreen/turquoise color that is almost beyond description. This color is extremely rare in the plant world. The bloom is a pendant, clustered birds beak like inflorescence up to 4 1/2 ft. long and puts on a spectacular show when in bloom. Often used in Lei making. Can be grown indoors. The hue is probably the rarest in the world of flowers. A vigorous grower once established, it can reach 30-40 ft tall, but is perfect for a pergola where the blooming clusters can hang down. Specimen vine. Blooming season: winter-spring. Cannot stand hard freeze or drought. Grows best in Zones 9-11. Young leaves had very dark, almost black color. As the leaf matures, it turns deep green.