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Chrysothemis pulchella (Donn ex Sims) Decne.

Synonym                    : Besleria pulchella Don

Family                        : Gesneriaceae

Local Names              : Sunset bells, black flamingo

Flowering and fruiting period:  June-February

Distribution:  Native of South America

Habitat: Grown as ornamental

IUCN status: Data deficient   

Endemic: No

Uses: Ornamental.

Key Characters: Yellow flowers with bright orange sepal cups form a colorful ground cover. The yellow flowers are short-lived, but the orange sepal cups last for many days and give the plant an everblooming effect. The dark, glossy, toothed leaves make this plant attractive even when it is not in bloom. It is a perennial herb that can be grown as a house-plant. From spring to summer it is covered with very showy orange-red flowers. The bright yellow corolla, with some red striping or spotting, is about twice the length of the sepal cup, with a narrow tube and flaring lobes. Leaves are large, dark-green with brown touch, very ornamental. The stems are thick and succulent, usually upright. The plant forms a dense mountain of flowers and foliage. The plant forms tubers at the base of the stem, and sometimes also in the leaf axils.