Asystasia gangeticaChinese Violet

Asystasia gangetica, the Chinese Violet or Creeping Foxglove, is a low, fast-spreading tropical perennial that roots as it runs and closes bare ground quickly. Soft ovate leaves form a mat 0.3 to 0.6 metres deep, and small funnel-shaped flowers in white through to pale mauve appear over most of the year in warm climates.

It is used where a large area needs covering economically and quickly, under open canopy, on batters and along the edges of service areas.

Specifications

• Height0.3 to 0.6 metres, scrambling higher through supports
• Width1 to 2 metres, spreading by rooting stems
• Native toTropical Africa and southern Asia
• FoliageSoft, ovate mid-green leaves on trailing stems; evergreen in warm climates
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilAdaptable to most soils with reasonable drainage; tolerates poor ground
• LightFull sun to partial shade
• WaterModerate; performs best with steady moisture
• ClimateThrives in tropical and subtropical regions

Additional Features

• FlowersSmall funnel-shaped flowers in white to pale mauve, carried through most of the year
• UsesBroad-area ground cover, batter and embankment planting, and infill beneath open canopy
• SpacingPlant 0.4 to 0.5 metres apart for cover within a season
• Low MaintenanceTrim back at the edges to hold it inside the bed; no other routine care needed
• Pest ResistanceVigorous and largely untroubled by pests
• Erosion ControlRooting stems bind loose soil on slopes and batters
• VersatilityTakes both sun and shade, which suits it to mixed-aspect sites

The Chinese Violet is a fast, inexpensive way to close large areas of open ground in a tropical scheme.