The leaves are often fuzzy, like African violets, and in some species are very colorful, too. Raphiocarpus is a cool little esoteric Asian plant that deserves wider use.
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More Information About Raphiocarpus
Raphiocarpus is a genus of 6 species of African Violet relatives (plant nerds refer to these as Gesneriads) from southeast Asia. Like many other Gesneriads, Raphiocarpus species prefer to grow in partial shade and, in the wild are found in hilly, forested sites with consistently moist soils.
Raphiocarpus flowers are tubular, similar in size and shape to Achimenes, Penstemon, Digitalis and Hemiboea, with which you may be more familiar. The leaves are often fuzzy, like African violets, and in some species are very colorful, too. Raphiocarpus is a cool little esoteric Asian plant that deserves wider use.
The name Raphiocarpus comes from the Greek "rhapios" and "carpos" which translates roughly as "thin, needle-like fruit". The species are native to humid areas and so should perform quite well in our Raleigh area garden. For those of you who are avid gesnerid fans, you may know Raphiocarpus by its older genus name Didissandra. When you are ready to buy Raphiocarpus for your garden, check out our online list of Raphiocarpus for sale.