Goldfish plant (Nematanthus fritschii)
Description
Goldfish Plant (Columnea gloriosa, syn. Hypocyrta) Native to tropical America, the goldfish plant belongs to the same family as African violets and gloxinias. The flowers look just like goldfish without fins. This is a classic plant for a hanging basket. It grows best indoors in bright filtered light, or outside in a warm sheltered position, but it is frost tender. Water your goldfish plant well in the growing season, but keep it fairly dry during the winter months. Tip prune after flowering to maintain size and shape. Columnea gloriosa is known for the red long tubular shaped flowers appearing like leaping fish. Oblanceolate leaves with reddish hairs that help distinguish them from other hybrids. A mature plant will grow cascading stems up to 3 feet in length which work well in a hanging basket. If conditions are right this plant will produce many blooms along the stem if supplied with the right nutrients. This hybrid prefers high indirect light with constant moisture during growing season, allow ample time to dry out between watering. Keep in humid conditions to keep bottom leaves from falling off, and temperatures above 65 °F.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum:
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Class: Magnoliopsida
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Order: Lamiales
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Family: Gesneriaceae
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Genus: Nematanthus
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