How to care for Lipstick Plant
Aeschynanthus radicans · Gesneriaceae
The lipstick plant trails glossy, waxy foliage tipped with striking red tubular flowers that emerge from dark calyces like lipstick from its case. An epiphyte from Southeast Asian rainforests, it wants warmth, brightness, and a light hand with water. In a hanging basket by a bright window it blooms off and on all year. Water roughly every 6 days while it's growing (about every 10 in winter), give it bright, indirect light, kept above 59°F (15°C) — average room humidity suits it.
Care at a glance
Water thoroughly when the top few centimeters dry; its semi-succulent leaves prefer slight drying over constant wetness.
Bright, indirect light with perhaps a little morning sun — too dark and it grows long, bare, flowerless stems.
Half-strength balanced fertilizer every 2 weeks from spring to early autumn.
Mistakes that kill this plant
- Cold drafts, which strip the stems bare.
- Heavy, water-retentive soil for what is naturally a tree-dweller.
- Deep shade, where it survives but grows stringy and never flowers.
Seasonal tips
- Prune the stems back by a third after a bloom flush — flowers form on new growth.
- Keep it away from doorways and cold windows in winter; chills make it shed leaves.
- Slightly pot-bound plants in bright light bloom the hardest.
Is it safe for pets?
We couldn’t place Lipstick Plant on a toxic or a non-toxic list, so its toxicity is unconfirmed — which is not the same as safe.
Full pet-safety details for cats & dogsCare for your Lipstick Plant on autopilot
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Toxicity here is informational, not a safety guarantee. Those are our own records, compiled by following the ASPCA's published toxic and non-toxic plant lists and Pet Poison Helpline's plant poison list rather than copied from them — confirm anything that matters against those lists or with your vet. If your pet ingested this plant, contact your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.