Cantua buxifolia

RHS Plant Profile

sacred flower of the Incas

RHS

Other common names

magic flower, magic flower of the Incas, magic tree, Peruvian magic tree

Synonyms

Cantua dependens

Climber Wall Shrub Conservatory Greenhouse

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An upright, often half-climbing, evergreen shrub. In spring it produces sprays of hanging tubular flowers which are pink to purple with red petal lobes

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand

Max Height

2.5-4 metres

Max Spread

1.5-2.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 2–5 years
Max Spread: 1.5-2.5 metres
Max Height: 2.5-4 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Loam Sand

Moisture: Moist but well–drained
pH: Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun

Aspect: West–facing or South–facing
Exposure: Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20): H3

Colour & Scent

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Polemoniaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Columnar upright
Genus: Cantua are evergreen small shrubs or trees with arching or scrambling branches and showy, terminal corymbs of narrowly tubular flowers with five spreading lobes, in a range of colours
Name Status: Correct
Plant Range: Andes of Bolivia, Peru & Chile

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow under glass in peat-free, loam-based compost in full light. Plants may be stood outdoors for the summer. In frost-free areas grow in a warm, sheltered position in full sun. The long, flexible stems will need support

Propagation

Propagate by seed sown in heat in spring, or by semi-ripe cuttings in summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Patio and container plants
Mediterranean climate plants
Wall side borders

Pruning

Pruning group 11, after flowering

Pests

May be susceptible to glasshouse whitefly and glasshouse red spider mite

Diseases

Generally disease-free