Clog plant

Description

Nematanthus gregarius, the clog plant or goldfish plant, is a species of flowering plant in the family Gesneriaceae, native to Brazil. Growing to 0.5 m (1.6 ft) tall by 1 m (3.3 ft) broad, it is a trailing perennial or subshrub with small fleshy evergreen leaves and brilliant orange tubular flowers in summer. The flowers vaguely resemble clogs in shape and goldfish in colour, hence the common names. As it does not tolerate temperatures below 10 °C (50 °F), in temperate zones this plant requires the protection of glass. It is often seen as a houseplant, in hanging baskets which highlight its trailing habit. Nematanthus gregarius has received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. Nematanthus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. All of its species are endemic to Brazil. Compared to other gesneriads, Nematanthus has leaves that are small, succulent, and hard-surfaced. The plant has a trailing, branching, and spreading habit; it is generally an epiphyte in nature and a hanging-basket plant in cultivation. The flower has fused petals. In some species, the flower has a "pouch" at the bottom. The fancied resemblance of such flowers to a goldfish gives these plants the common name "goldfish plant" or "guppy plant". Hummingbirds will often feed from the nectar-filled "goldfish" flowers. Nematanthus species are perennials or subshrubs, typically growing epiphytically, less often in humus-filled pockets on rocks. Their leaves are often reddish underneath. Their flowers have fused petals and vary quite widely in shape. Some have flowers with a "pouch" on the lower surface of the flower and a small opening (particularly those commonly cultivated). Others have flowers that are twisted through 180° when fully open (resupinate), so that if pouched, the pouch is at the top. Resupinate flowers may be brightly coloured, funnel-shaped and compressed from side to side, or white and bell-shaped. Some species have flowers that are borne on long pedicels and hang down below the plant, others have short pedicels so that the flowers are close to the stem.