Odontonema, Variegated Firespike 'Gray White'

I received this plant as a rooted cutting. Planted it in the ground and it stayed as a 2 foot plant for about 3 years. In the fourth yea...Read Morer it shot up to 4-5 feet tall with branches spreading out to make the entire plant about 4-5 feet wide. It has returned every year since.

It does not appear to be invasive as there are no seedlings or off shoots.

It's deciduous in my area and dies back to the ground in winter. It returns in the spring on new growth from the roots.

I gave this a positive rating as anything that grows here without being invasive is a good thing. Although the bougainvillea and rose bush that are planted by it may rate it otherwise since I planted it near them and didn't realize how large it would get and block their sun.

There was quite a hooraaraa about this plant when it was offered in the early 1990's by a well known midwest nursery as a variegated Odon...Read Moretonema. It was then sold by a Mississippi perennial nursery as such. As soon as it bloomed it was obviously a Pseuderanthemum and the MS nursury pulled it from their catalogue. The midwest nursery never did and it looks as though it's still in the trade under the wrong name. That's really a shame.

It is a lovely plant for the shade garden with unusual variegation. The blooms are small purple/lavender flwers. It's easy from cuttings and ground hardy in the gulf south if deeply mulched. It's never self sown for me as the other Pseuderanthemums do so riotously.