Japanese name: コプシア フルティコサ Scientific name:Kopsia fruticosa
[Overview]
An evergreen shrub 1–4 m tall.
Young branches are hairy.
The branches have blunt ridges.
Leaves are simple and opposite, elliptic, 10–23 cm long and 2.5–9 cm wide.
The leaf surface is glossy, and the veins are sunken.
The leaf margins are entire.
The leaves have short petioles.
Cymes at the branch tips bear 10–20 flowers.
The flowers are 3–4 cm across; the corolla is radially 5-lobed, with rounded lobe tips.
The flowers are pale pink, turning white as they open, with a pink center.
The fruit is about 2.5 cm long and 2 cm wide, with a distinctive shape with a dented tip; the surface is covered with soft hairs, and it is dark red.
[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings.
It prefers sunny, well-drained, fertile, neutral to slightly acidic soil.
It does best in a hot, humid environment; keep it at 10–15°C or above for overwintering, and 20°C or above is good for flowering.
From spring to autumn, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; keep it on the dry side in winter.
From spring to autumn, apply slow-release fertilizer placed on the soil.
There are no particular pests or diseases.
