Columnea Species, Goldfish Plant, Hairy Columnea, Lipstick Plant

Columneahirta

Family
Gesneriaceae (ges-ner-ee-AY-see-ee)
Genus
Columnea (kol-LUM-nee-uh)
Species
hirta (HER-tuh)
Synonym
Columnea hirsuta
Columnea pilosissima
Sun Exposure
Light Shade
Foliage
Evergreen
Succulent
Height
12-18 in. (30-45 cm)
Spacing
24-36 in. (60-90 cm)
36-48 in. (90-120 cm)
4-6 ft. (1.2-1.8 m)
Hardiness
USDA Zone 10b: to 1.7 °C (35 °F)
USDA Zone 11: above 4.5 °C (40 °F)
Danger
N/A
Bloom Color
Orange
Red-Orange
Bloom Time
Blooms all year
Other Details
Category
Tropicals and Tender Perennials
Vines and Climbers
Epiphytes
Water Requirements
Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater
Foliage Color
Where to Grow
Can be grown as an annual
Suitable for growing in containers
Bloom Characteristics
Bloom Size
Other details
Soil pH requirements
4.6 to 5.0 (highly acidic)
5.1 to 5.5 (strongly acidic)
Patent Information
Propagation Methods
From leaf cuttings
From herbaceous stem cuttings
By grafting
Self-sows freely; deadhead if you do not want volunteer seedlings next season
Seed Collecting
Regional

This plant is said to grow outdoors in the following regions:

Gilboa, New York

Crowley, Texas

Harrisonburg, Virginia

Shelton, Washington

Skokomish, Washington

Featured Videos

Gardener's Notes:

1
positive
1
neutral
1
negative
Sort By:
Sort By:
E
Gilboa, NY | February 2008 | negative

What is commonly called the "Goldfish Plant" is Nematanthus not Columnea. Hirta is a species plant with pure orange hairy blossoms and I...Read More

D
D
(Zone 6a) | February 2006 | positive

i was given some cuttings of this plant from a customer at my work. she called it a dolphin plant. it took alot of reasearch to find out ...Read More

S
| December 2004 | neutral

I live in Niagara Falls, Canada. I purchased this plant at a local nursery in late spring of 2004. It bloomed all summer and was a very i...Read More

Featured
Yellow-spotted Millipede
(Harpaphe haydeniana)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
(Sphyrapicus varius)
Featured
Yellow-spotted Millipede
(Harpaphe haydeniana)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
(Sphyrapicus varius)