Mussaenda – showy flowers from the coffee family

a plant with yellow and white flowers
The Flower Cluster Includes the True flower and the Enlarged Calyx

Exotic flowers are the name of the game in our area.  Beautiful, complex, and colorful flowers not only offer curb appeal, but also conversation starters that broaden the mind and your plant palette.  The mussaenda fits the bill in all categories of desirability with asymmetrical design that makes you look twice. 

The mussaenda is a type of woody shrub in the coffee family native to the Old-World tropics where it grows from two feet to fifteen feet tall depending on the species.  The leaves – arrayed in opposite fashion on the branches – are green, prominently veined, and covered with small hairs.   The flowers are the real showstopper growing as tubular, five-lobed clusters with one or more enlarged leaf-like calyces emerging from the base of the flower.  Different species have different flower manifestations, but all have the general form noted.  Yellow mussaenda is a common species found in garden centers that tends to be on the dwarf side growing only to two to three feet tall.  The flower clusters are yellow, and the modified calyx is generally white.  Another species to look for is commonly known as the red flag bush.  Growing to ten-feet tall, the red flag bush has the same general flower/calyx formation but is different in appearance with white flowers and multiple red modified calyces making for a truly spectacular floral show.  Red flag improved cultivars and/or hybrids come in white, red, pink, and orange with huge gobs of almost poinsettia-like flower heads.  I have only seen one or two over the years in local landscapes, but they were impressive requiring a double take.  One cultivar of note is called ‘Queen Sirkit’ with large flower clusters of ivory to pale pink.   The red flag bush has an open growing habit that must be pruned to keep within bounds or given support in the form a trellis.  

In general, mussaenda do best in full sun with some afternoon shade.  They are not very drought-tolerant, so keep this requirement in mind.  If they were planted in a designated planting bed (not just out in the landscape) organic matter could be added to improve the water holding capacity of the soil.   Low temperatures that we routinely experience here can be a limiting factor as mussaenda are tender.  Temperatures below sixty degrees F. will slow growth, and below forty-degrees F will cause damage with leaf drop, flower injury, and general decline.  Now this will likely be a common winter problem in our area.  However, wait until March to prune out any dead material.  Baring a heavy freeze, regrowth and recovery can occur so don’t be too discouraged – by late spring things should be coming back to normal. 

Mussaenda as a group are interesting and colorful plants to explore.  I have never grown one, but I plan on trying this exotic plant in the near future.  Keep your eye out for this flowering shrub and consider adding it to your landscape in 2025!  For more information on growing all types of unusual flowering plants in our area, or to ask a question, you can also call the Master Gardener Volunteer Helpdesk on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 1 to 4 pm at 764-4340 for gardening help and insight into their role as an Extension volunteer.  R Ralph E. Mitchell is the Director/Horticulture Agent for UF/IFAS Extension Charlotte County. He can be reached at 941-764-4344 or ralph.mitchell@charlottecountyfl.gov. Connect with us on social media. Like us on Facebook @CharlotteCountyExtension and follow us on Instagram @ifascharco.  

Resources:
McLaughlin, J. & Garofalo, J. (2004) MUSSAENDAS FOR SOUTH FLORIDA LANDSCAPES. Miami-Dade County Cooperative Extension Service, IFAS.
CLOUD-BAILEY, C. (2020) Gardening in Florida: Dwarf Mussaenda brings flowers to South and Central Florida Gardens. Treasure Coast Newspapers.
Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder (2025) Mussaenda. https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=264602&isprofile=0&.
Plant Profiles (2023) Mussaenda species- UF/IFAS Extension Orange County.

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ralph mitchell
Posted: January 29, 2025


Category: Home Landscapes
Tags: Exotic Flowers, Mussaenda


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