Japanese name: キツネノヒガサ（狐の日傘） Scientific name:Crossandra infundibuliformis
[Overview]
An evergreen subshrub 30–80 cm tall.
It branches well, and old plants become woody.
The leaves are simple and opposite, ovate-elliptic to lanceolate, 7–15 cm long, with wavy margins.
It flowers all year round if the temperature is high.
Spike-like inflorescences 5–10 cm long arise from the leaf axils in the upper part of the stem.
Lanceolate bracts overlap one another on the inflorescence, and the flowers project from within the bracts.
The flowers are orange and funnel-shaped, about 3 cm across, with 5 lobes at the tip.
The fruit is a capsule.
[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings.
It has weak cold tolerance and is best kept at 10°C or above over winter, so bring it indoors to a sunny spot in winter.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained place, but avoid strong direct sunlight in summer.
Take care not to overwater; from spring to autumn, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries, and water sparingly in winter.
From spring to autumn, apply slow-release fertilizer placed on the soil.
Remove spent flowers promptly.
Pests and diseases include scale insects.
