If the mouth-painted lipsticks have not beautified your visage, Lipstick Plant Varieties can surely glorify your home.
Initially, I thought that the plant might be similar only by name, but the tubular structure of the flower amazed me more.
The bright red to maroon flowers resemble miniature Lipstick emerging from tubes identical for all the varieties.
In general, there are over 100 Lipstick Plant varieties worldwide. The most popular varieties include Mona Lisa, Cassiopeia, Pink Polka, Tangerine, and others, with vines extending up to 3 feet.
All of the varieties of Lipstick plant has glossy leaves and speedy growth that provides your room with a jungly look.
You can relish the beautiful flower having a lifespan of at least three weeks near the bathroom, bookshelf, or table.
If you plan to bring a Lipstick Plant, stay with the article till the end to choose the best variety for your house.
Table of Contents Show
10+ Popular Lipstick Plant Varieties with Names & Pictures
Lipstick Plant is scientifically known as Aeschynanthus radicans, which produces scarlet flowers that develop from buds mimicking lipstick tubes.
It has more than 150 varieties, all thanks to the differences in its foliage.
Even if the Lipstick Plant is an epiphyte in Southeast Asia forests, they receive love as a houseplant worldwide for its easy maintenance and carefree nature.
You can provide the tropical climate of its homeland and grow the popular varieties of Lipstick Plants listed below.
1. Mona Lisa Lipstick Plant
As a native of Malaysia and Indonesia, the Mona Lisa Lipstick plant can cover your room with its trailing vines extending up to 3 feet.
The eye-catching feature of the Mona Lisa lies in its glossy, oval, broad leaves extending up to 4-5 cm wide.
The plant has Red flowers in clusters that emerge from the maroon buds and can reach up to 5 cm in length.
Meanwhile, you can enjoy the trailing foliage of the Mona Lisa variety, also known as Scarlet Basket Vine ‘Mona Lisa,’ for 3-6 years in the same pot as they are evergreen perennials.
2. Twisted Lipstick Plant
The Twisted Lipstick Plant is a native of the tropics of Asia.
One of the unique features of the Twisted Lipstick is its cascading vines with cupped and curled dark green leaves.
Although the name itself signifies the structure of the plant, the Twisted Plant variety extends densely in the twisted form up to 2 feet.
If served the proper care, you can notice the vines covered with bright red flowers emerging from a maroon calyx in the spring.
These hanging plants are easy to manage or care for and can establish themself as one of the best plants for your guest room and table with their evergreen foliage.
To relish the leaves, you must repot and trim the plant every three years as they look leggy and bushy over time.
If your Lipstick Plant receives timely repotting, it can live indoors for more than ten years.
3. Black Pagoda Lipstick Plant
The Black Pagoda is a Zebra basket vine for its blotched leaves, similar to the Hoya variety.
But they are different as the leaves have pointed, oval, and broad structures with purple splashes on the undersurface.
Moreover, Black Pagoda flowers are more mesmerizing and unique than other varieties, boasting an orange and green hue.
Since the flowers only bloom in the late winter and spring, you can enlighten the room and eyes with its foliage extending to 1-2 feet for the remaining season.
If you wish to see the evergreen foliage alive for years, keep repotting depending on its growth size.
4. Thai Pink Lipstick Plant
One of my favorite and most popular Lipstick Plant varieties is the Thai Pink Lipstick Plant from the Malay Peninsula South to Java.
I love everything about this variety, from the heart-shaped leaves to the trumpet-shaped flower.
The Thai Pink Lipstick Plant flowers are tubular with a pale pink hue and have a size of 5 cm long.
Similarly, the plant has heart-shaped, glossy, and leathery leaves arranged alternately, extending up to 3 cm in diameter.
Also, the Thai Pink Lipstick Plant is an evergreen perennial which can grow 3 feet in height.
5. Cassiopeia Lipstick Plant
Another name on the popular varieties of Lipstick Plant originating from the tropics of Asia is the Cassiopeia Lipstick Plant.
The plants have soft, pointed, and waxy leaves with an oval structure and trailing vines extending up to 3 feet but are less bushy.
Like other varieties, the Cassiopeia flower emerges from the dark purple-red bud giving it a tubular structure.
The blossoms of this variety also have a bright red hue seen all together in clusters.
Cassiopeia Plants are mostly root-bound and demand repotting only when they are about to outgrow the current pot.
6. Tangerine Lipstick Plant
Tangerine Lipstick Plant is a little different from other varieties for its thick green leaves that resemble the leaf of succulents.
They change people’s traditional belief that all Lipstick Plants have red-colored flowers.
The difference occurs due to orange to yellow flowers emerging from the maroon-red calyx.
As a variety of Lipstick Plants, Tangerine is also a native of the tropical rainforest and loves humid spaces for growth.
They have trailing vines with green leaves extending up to 2 feet long.
7. Curly Lipstick Plant
If you want to fill your room with twisted and turned leaves, you must go for the Curly Lipstick Plant.
The leaves of the Curly Lipstick Plant are dark green, having small and curled leaflets.
And the flowers have a tubular structure with a scarlet hue emerging from the tubes of dark-red buds in clusters.
If you look at the vine length, it is similar to most of the varieties of Lipstick Plants, attaining a height of about 2 feet.
The Curly Lipstick Plant is also a native of the Malay Peninsula.
8. Purple Star Lipstick Plant
Purple Star Lipstick Plant also differs from other varieties for its upright foliage compared to the trailing vines.
If you look closely, you can witness the needle-like leaves in a dark green color.
Besides, the Purple star has violet-red to hot pink blossoms that grow as a single flower but appear as clusters when matured.
The Purple Star Lipstick originates from Southeast Asia, making them lovers of humid tropical climates.
Eventually, the variety can attain a height of about 2 feet or more, depending on their surroundings.
You can enjoy the evergreen foliage of the perennial Purple Star Lipstick Plant by repotting it only when the plant demands it, as they like to be root bound.
9. Gracilis Lipstick Plant
If you are looking for a tidy and delicate-looking Lipstick plant variety, then the most popular is the Gracilis for its equal-length branches.
The vines have light green, leathery, oval, and small leaves about 4 cm wide.
Meanwhile, the brown vine can extend up to 2-3 feet, and branches spread less densely than other varieties.
Also, you can enjoy the red tubular flower emerging along the trails and tips of the vines during the early spring.
The secret of Gracilis is that it is a hybrid variety of the Lipstick plant.
10. Variegated Lipstick Plant
Originating from the subtropics of South Asia, the Variegated Lipstick Plant has marbled leaves with white patches over the green leaves.
The leaves of the Variegated Lipstick Plant are drought resistant due to the semi-succulent leaves and stem that gives rise to red tubular flowers.
You can enjoy this beautiful evergreen perennial for more than ten years if provided with the required indirect light.
Variegated Lipstick Plant is the most expensive variety known for their rare availability and variegation costing about $175, while other costs about $35.
Also, the trails of the plant can extend up to 2 feet providing assets for your bookshelf and terrace as a hanging plant.
11. Rasta Lipstick Plant
Rasta Lipstick Plant has sickle shape curly leaves and is often mistaken for Twisted Lipstick variety or Curly Lipstick variety.
But that is a fallacy as the leaves of the Rasta Lipstick variety do not roll over each other and appear attached from endpoints.
The plant has mature leaves with a dark green shade, while the tender leaves have light green to yellow hue and are shiny.
Besides, you can enjoy red trumpet flowers from spring to fall in clusters along the vines.
The vines can attain a length of 2-3 feet if you can mimic the conditions similar to their native land of Southeast Asia.
12. Pink Polka Lipstick Plant
You might have already guessed the blossom to have a pink hue by looking at the name of the Pink Polka Plant variety.
This Lipstick variety spreads its thick, glossy, round succulent foliage up to 2 feet under warm, humid conditions like that of Southeast Asia, being their homeland.
The blossom structure of the plant is similar to other varieties having a tubular shape with a bright pink shade.
The Pink Polka Lipstick plant is more delicate than its cousin, the Rasta Lipstick plant, which is famous for its rich look.
10 Additional Popular Lipstick Plant Varieties
If you could not find the Lipstick plant of your choice, feel free to look over the other varieties tabulated below.
| Varieties | Appearance |
|---|---|
| Krakau Lipstick Plant | Lanceolate, shiny dark green leaves with rich red flowers. |
| Mini Variegated Lipstick Plant | Medium-green ovate leaves spattered in golden-yellow variegation which fades at the time of blooming with small reddish flower. |
| Variegated Curly Lipstick Plant | Almost oval with slightly whirled leaves at the apex with light yellow to yellowish-green or light pinkish foliage and orange-red flowers |
| Variegated Mona Lisa Lipstick Plant | Broad, oval leaves with pinkish green and light green shade and has bright red flower |
| Flearly Mona Lisa Lipstick Plant | Oval leaves with wavy apex and are waxy and shiny with yellowish blooms |
| Ramblin Lipstick Plant | Elongated, dark leaves with hairs on the surface and tender leaf appear light green, and gives rise to dark red flowers |
| Rumba Lipstick Plant | Lanceolate and dark green leaves with hairy extension on the leaf surface and has dark red flowers |
| Bolero Bicolore Lipstick Plant | Elongated, slender with smooth leaf surface except for the hairy leaf margin and has gentle green shade with purplish red blooms |
| Caroline Lipstick Plant | Dark green and oppositely arranged leaves with red flowers |
| Tessa-Lee Lipstick Plant | Oval-shaped, dark green mature leaves and light green tender leaves with reddish blooms |
Tips to Care for Lipstick Plants
As a native of tropical rainforests and Southeast Asia, the Lipstick plants are not demanding except for a suitable environment.
If you are new to gardening, know all the required criteria from the tips below.
- Provide at least 2 hours of deep shade with 6 hours of indirect light.
- Maintain the humidity of at least 50% or more for the optimum growth of vines.
- Keep the room temperature within the range of 18-24ºC and maintain consistency as the plant does not like fluctuations in temperature.
- Water the Lipstick Plant once a week in summer and 2-3 weeks in winter up to an inch above the soil.
- Cater the plant with 10-10-10 N-P-K liquid fertilizer during the growing stage every two weeks while 15-30-15 N-P-K before blooming.
- Keep in mind to grow the Lipstick Plant in organic-rich, well-draining soil with a pH of 6.0-8.0.
- You can also create your DIY recipe by mixing one part each of potting mix, peat, and perlite.
- Although Lipstick plants like to be root-bound, you can do repotting when the roots start to outgrow the pot.
- Perform the repotting in spring or summer into a pot 1 to 2 inches larger to keep the plant slightly bound to the container.
- As for pruning, do it only when the plant seems leggy to encourage branching by cutting only 1/3 of the plant.
- Protect your Lipstick Plant from pests like aphids, mealybugs, and mites by spraying neem oil and insecticidal soap.
- Most Lipstick Plant varieties are resistant to disease but can still be affected by fungal diseases like Botrytis blight and leaf spot.
- To cover this, try to keep the vines away from the potting medium and maintain them dry.
Conclusion
The Lipstick Plant can be a great addition to your houseplants for its low maintenance and ability to purify the air with beautification.
Also, Lipstick Plant Varieties allow you have the best choice for your apartment or home!
And the best part of the plant is that it easily propagates from stem cutting and enables cost-efficient gardening.
However, do not neglect it till it starts to die back, thinking that the Lipstick Plants do not require regular attention.
If you want to add other houseplants, you can have multiple choices on Tradescantia Varieties, Bromeliad Varieties, Calathea Varieties.
Happy Gardening!
