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Herbaceous PerennialHouseplants

Callisia repens

A species of tender evergreen perennial with a trailing habit, forming mats of branching stems that root at the nodes, with broadly ovate, slightly fleshy, pointed green leaves to 4cm long. Clusters of tiny white flowers are borne in the leaf axils of ascending stems in late spring and early summer

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Ultimate height

0.1–0.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

5–10 years

Ultimate spread

0.5–1 metres

Chalk

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Well–drained

pH

Acid, Neutral, Alkaline

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Partial shade

Aspect

East–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

H1B

Botanical details

Family: Commelinaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Matforming, Trailing
Genus: Callisia are trailing or bushy evergreen perennials with slightly fleshy stems and leaves, and small, 3-petalled white or pink flowers
Name status: Correct

How to grow

Cultivation

Can be grown outdoors where temperatures do not fall below 10°C in winter; more often grown in a hanging basket or container or as a houseplant. Grow in two parts peat-free John Innes No 2 and one part grit, in bright filtered light. Water freely in the growing season and apply a liquid fertiliser monthly

Propagation

Propagate by softwood cuttings, by root cuttings, removing 6-7cm of the root tip in spring, or by division, removing rooted offsets. To produce dense coverage, pot up several cuttings in an 8cm container

Suggested planting locations and garden types

hanging basket
Houseplants
Patio and container plants
Rock garden
Sub-tropical
Conservatory and greenhouse
Ground cover

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

Generally disease-free

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.