Mackaya bella, called the forest bell bush, is a species of flowering plant in the acanthus family Acanthaceae, native to South Africa (Cape Provinces, KwaZulu-Natal, and Northern Provinces) and Eswatini.[2]
| Mackaya bella | |
|---|---|
| |
| Mackaya bella flowers are bilaterally symmetric | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Acanthaceae |
| Genus: | Mackaya |
| Species: | M. bella
|
| Binomial name | |
| Mackaya bella | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
|
Asystasia bella (Harv.) Vesque | |
Growing to 1.5 m (4.9 ft) tall and broad, it is an evergreen shrub with glossy green leaves, and trumpet-shaped pale lilac flowers veined in purple. The plant is not hardy below 10 °C (50 °F), so in temperate zones requires protection during the winter months. However, it may be placed outside in a sheltered spot in summer. It requires an alkaline or neutral soil.[3]
It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[3]
References edit
- ^ Thes. Cap. 1: 8 (1859)
- ^ a b "Mackaya bella Harv". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
- ^ a b "Mackaya bella forest bell bush". The Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
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