Mackaya bella

Mackaya bella
Flowers are bilaterally symmetric
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Acanthaceae
Genus:	Mackaya
Species:	M. bella
Binomial name
Mackaya bella Harv. [2]
Synonyms [3]
Asystasia bella(Harv.) Vesque

Mackaya bella, called the forest bell bush, is a species of flowering plant in the acanthus family Acanthaceae, native to South Africa (Cape Provinces, KwaZulu-Natal, and Northern Provinces) and Eswatini. ^[3]

Description

Flower

Growing to 1.5 m (4.9 ft) tall and broad, it is an erect, evergreen shrub with opposite arranged 4 to 5 inch long glossy, slim, elliptically-shaped dark green leaves that feature wavy margins and salient midrib and veins on the lower surface. ^[4]

2 inch long, trumpet-shaped, pale lilac to lavender flowers veined in purple appear profusely in spring and early summer. The throats have noticeable deep purple veins. ^[4]

Cultivation

The plant is not hardy below −6 °C (21 °F), therefore in colder temperate zones requires protection during the winter months. ^[4] However, it may be placed outside in a sheltered spot in summer. It requires an alkaline or neutral soil. ^[5]

It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. ^[5]

References

1. Timberlake, J.R. (2022). "Mackaya bella". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2022 e.T209832062A209944310. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T209832062A209944310.en . Retrieved November 23, 2024.
2. Thes. Cap. 1: 8 (1859)
3. "Mackaya bella Harv". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
4. Mackaya bella - Forest Bell Bush San Marcos Growers. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
5. "Mackaya bella". The Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 10 November 2020.