Species · genus Hypoestes · Acanthaceae

Polkadot-Plant

Hypoestes phyllostachya Baker

Also known as: Flamingo Plant · Freckle-face · Measlesplant · Pink-dot · Polka-dot-plant

Growth habit

subshrub

Native range

Madagascar

Reference · H. phyllostachya

Cultivars of H. phyllostachya

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under H. phyllostachya yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

A soft-stemmed subshrub from Madagascar, grown for its dappled foliage. It prefers bright indirect light and evenly moist but never soggy mix; water when the top inch of soil feels dry, easing back if the leaves stay limp after drinking. Leaf drop and leggy growth usually mean too little light rather than too little water.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 4-9d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 9 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

16–27 °C

Soil mix

Light, peat-based mix that stays evenly moist

Propagation

Stem cuttings root quickly in water or soil

Fertilizing

Diluted balanced feed every two weeks in growing season

Growth rate

Fast

Flowering

Small lilac flowers; grown for its pink-spotted leaves

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Non-toxic to cats & dogs

Polka-dot plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya) — ASPCA non-toxic to cats and dogs. This is where toxicity lives: every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 4-9d) · ai:claude-fable-5 · ASPCA

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Polkadot-Plant yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.