Family: Acanthaceae
Common name: Brazilian red cloak, Red Justicia, Brazilian red-cloak, Red justice, Brazilian plume, Fackelbusch, Justicia rouge
Brazilian Red Cloak is a beautiful evergreen shrub loved all over the world for their showy red flowers that bloom in abundance.
Plant characteristics
The plant grow upright and tall to a height of 2-3 meters with large, glossy, dark green leaves that are 15-30 centimeters long. They are lance-shaped with prominent veins and smooth margins.
Brazilian red cloak is called so because of their bright, beautiful, red flowers that are actually bracts or modified leaves clustered around the actual flowers that are tubular, pale yellow to white in color like the Boungainvilleas.
The inflorescences are elongated spikes that usually are in clusters, standing tall above the leaves, like the plant actually burst out in red fireworks. The bracts are 15-25 cm long, seen throughout spring and summer.
Gardening tips
Brazilian red cloaks are fairly easy to grow in gardens with bright or filtered sunlight. They CANNOT flower in the shade or indoors. Water them regularly especially during summer months, and feed a balanced fertilizer during spring and summer when the plant is in full bloom.
These plants can become tall and lanky if they are not pruned. So you can trim any extra-long branches and also prune the plant down once the flowers are spent.
The name Megaskepasma comes from the Greek words ‘Megas’ which stands for big, and ‘skepasma’ which stands for cover, the way the bracts cover the flowers of the Brazilian red cloak. And the term erythrochlamys means cloaked in red, a very apt name for this beautiful plant that is usually cloaked in red during spring.
The plants are native to South America but are now grown as ornamental plants all over the world. They are very good hedge or border plants since they can give a good backdrop to the rest of your garden. They can also grown quickly giving you the protection or privacy your garden needs.
Propagation
Propagation is through stem cuttings and root division. Semi-woody stems about 20-30 cm long can be cut from the parent plant. Remove the extra leaves and plant in well-drained soil. Plants usually root in 2-3 weeks.
Once the Brazilian red cloak plants fill a pot, they can be carefully removed, separated in to individual plants, and replanted.
Photographed at: Hennur road, Bangalore
