Polka dot plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya)

Polka dot plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya) is a plant species in Acanthaceae, a green shrub with a height of up to 30 cm, producing flowers, green leaves with white or pink or purple spots as if sprayed with paint and many cultivars have these features often blends into a larger color area.

H. phyllostachya has many branches, purplish green stems, opposite leaves, oval, pointed and 2-4 cm long stems. Green leaves with pink spots, although they can range from white to pink to red. The bottom surface is purplish red.

The polka dot plant produces small purple flowers, solitary in a knot that resembles a honeysuckle, formed in a cob at the end of a stem and the fruit is a capsule. This plant most often grows partially in the sun.

H. phyllostachya is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant in subtropical and tropical regions. They have many cultivars with green, white or red leaves that are leveled by these colors including Camina, Confetti Blush, Pink Splash, Red Splash and White Splash.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Lamiales
Family: Acanthaceae
Genus: Hypoestes
Species: Hypoestes phyllostachya

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