Ixora coccinea L.

Shrubs 0.5-2.0 m tall, much branching, the twiglets glabrous, the nodes well spaced. Leaves sessile or subsessile, oblong, ovate oblong, elliptic or occasion-ally obovate oblong, 2.0-8.5(-16.0) cm long, 1.2-6.2 cm wide, rounded, deltoid to subacute at the apex, often with a terminal bristle to 1 mm long, cordate, obtuse, basally truncate or subobtuse, the lateral veins 10-13, joining to form an irregular, undulate submarginal vein, the intervenal areas spreading reticulate, coriaceous, glabrous; stipules oblong, to 6.5 cm long, usually shorter, the median awn as long as the body. Inflorescences terminal, the flowers in dense corymbs, the aggregate to 7 cm long, occasionally wider than long, the peduncle usually suppressed or to 1.2 cm long, occasionally with 1-2 pairs of opposite branches, the lowermost to 2 cm long; bracts and bracteoles ovate, to 0.8 cm long, acute. Flowers sessile; hypanthium subrotund to oblong rotund or turbinate, glabres-cent, the calycine cup reduced, the lobes 5, ascending, triangular, ca. 1 mm long, acute; corolla red or orange, the tube linear infundibuliform, 3.5-4.5 cm long, 0.1 cm wide, glabrous or minutely puberulent, the lobes ovate oblong or oblong, 1.2-1.5 cm long, 0.8 mm wide, acute to widely deltoid, glabrous; stamens 4, the anthers soon deciduous, narrowly ovate oblong, 3.5-4.2 mm long, caudate acu-minate for ca. 1 mm, sagittate basally, the filaments shorter than the anthers, attached at the mouth; style scarcely exserted or exserted for 5 mm, the stigmas 1 mm long. Fruits not seen.

It needs tropical conditions. It is native to tropical Asia. It suits hardiness zones 11-12. In XTBG Yunnan.

The ripe fruit are eaten. The flowers are used as a condiment or flavouring.

Plants can be grown from seeds. It can be grown by air-layering. It can be grown by cuttings using rooting hormones.