John&Jacq~s Garden

Lovely white wings of Mussaenda Luteola

Mussaenda luteola (Dwarf Yellow Mussaenda, White Wing) –

Plant Profile, Culture and Propagation :

• Botanical Name: Mussaenda luteola (similar species: Mussaenda incana, Mussaenda lutea, Mussaenda glabra, Pseudomussaenda flava)
• Common Name: Dwarf Mussaenda, White Wing, Dwarf Yellow Mussaenda, Miniature White Flag.
• Family name: Rubiaceae
• Plant type: Tropical perennial shrub, native to Tropical Africa, Asia and Malaysia.
• Light: Prefers full sun, but can tolerate semi-shade
• Moisture: Needs moderate water regularly but do not overwater.
• Soil: Grow best in well-drained loamy soil.
• Propagation: From softwood or semi-hardwood cuttings, air layering and from seeds though rarely available.
• Features: Mussaenda luteola, a dwarf species, is quite an eye-catching flowering shrub reaching a height ranging from 2 to 3 feet, erect, small in stature and more compact in habit than the typical Mussaenda flag species.
  Leaves are bright green, lanceolate, 2-5 inches long and prominently veined.
  An all year round blooming shrub covered with flower clusters borne in branching terminal, trichotomous corymbs.
  Flowers are composed of small bright yellow, star-shaped corollas with orange centres and subtended by the palest creamy yellow or off-white enlarged sepals (bracts) that resemble white wings or flags.
• Usage: Being small and ever-blooming, Dwarf Mussaenda will be excellent for container gardening or planted en masse in a border or used as hedges. Great for landscapping as a single decorative specimen or in a group of low-growing plants in home gardens or parks. Attractive to butterflies, bees, hummingbirds and insect pollinators as a nectar plant.
• Care: Dwarf Mussaenda loves hot and humid environment, so locate it where it can receive full sun to induce continuous flowering. Prune after blooming to shape and get a bushier shrub with more branching, resulting in more flowers. It has a tendency to become straggly and leggy, so prune heavily which it can tolerate, if necessary. There are no known serious insect or disease problems but do watch for spider mites and whiteflies.
• For temperate regions: It blooms especially well during the warm months but may need cold protection during winters. Peruse this informative fact sheet on Mussaendas from the University of Florida. To enjoy more Mussaenda images, go to TopTropicals.com and type the word – mussaenda, in the search box next to Plant Catalog at the top bar.

Mussaendas thrive especially well in our tropical climate, which is never deficient in sun and rain all year round. Thus, it’s no wonder that we love to grow them. They require hardly any attention, yet scatter bright splashes of color to our little haven. How rewarding! We grow 3 cultivars, each producing their own specialty – Mussaenda luteola with their lovely yellow stars shining by day and white winged sepals brightening the night; Mussaenda philippica ‘Aurorae’ with its tiny orange stars and large flower clusters of gorgeous white sepals that are long-lasting and catchy; and Mussaenda erythrophylla ‘Ashanti Blood’ with its white starry corollas contrasting beautifully against bright red sepals that are strikingly stunning, a real traffic stopper! How wonderful, each as beautiful as the other! :D

Last edit: May 29, 2016

Tags: butterfly plants, flowering plants, outdoor plants, shrubs, white, yellow