Mackaya bella

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Mackaya bella
Gardenology.org-IMG 6929 hunt09jun.jpg
Flowers are bilaterally symmetric
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Acanthaceae
Genus: Mackaya
Species:
M. bella
Binomial name
Mackaya bella
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]

Contents

Description

Flower Mackaya bella, blom, Manie van der Schijff BT, b.jpg
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]

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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. 1 2 "Mackaya bella Harv". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 Mackaya bella - Forest Bell Bush San Marcos Growers. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  5. 1 2 "Mackaya bella". The Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 10 November 2020.