Egyptian Star

Pentas lanceolata 'Starcluster Red' is a compact flowering houseplant valued for its domed heads of small, star-shaped red flowers. It blooms over a long season and does well on a bright windowsill, where the vivid red heads glow against fresh green leaves. Butterflies and bees are drawn to it outdoors in summer.

Origins

The species comes from tropical East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, where it grows as an evergreen, woody-based perennial. It belongs to the Rubiaceae family, the same group as coffee and gardenia. In the UK it is sold as an indoor or conservatory plant because it needs warmth through the year and will not cope with frost.

Care

Give it as much light as you can, ideally a few hours of direct sun each day. Water when the top few centimetres of compost have started to dry, then water thoroughly and let the excess drain away. Normal room humidity is fine. Keep it in a warm room above 10C and away from cold draughts. Pinch off faded flower heads to keep new buds coming. Pentas is not known to be toxic to cats or dogs.