Species · genus Medinilla · Melastomataceae
Medinilla formosana
Medinilla formosana Hayata
Cultivars of M. formosana
The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.
No named cultivars catalogued under M. formosana 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.
An Upright Epiphytic Shrub
Medinilla magnifica, known as the rose grape, is an evergreen shrub grown as a houseplant or conservatory subject for its arching flower panicles. It belongs to the Melastomataceae family, a genus of shrubs and woody climbers native across the tropical Old World.
Source: RHS
A Philippine Native
This species comes from the Philippines, where it grows as an epiphytic shrub. It sits within Medinilla, a genus of some 391 accepted species ranging from tropical Africa through Asia to the western Pacific.
Source: RHS
Bright Light, Steady Humidity
Grow this plant under glass in peat-free, loam-based compost, giving it bright filtered light or full light shaded from hot sun. High humidity matters here, so standing the pot on moist gravel in a tray helps. Water moderately through the growing season with a monthly balanced liquid feed, then cut back to sparing watering over winter.
Source: RHS
Cuttings Or Seed
The rose grape can be raised from seed, or increased by softwood cuttings taken in spring and semi-ripe cuttings taken in summer.
Source: RHS
Leathery Leaves, Showy Bracts
The plant carries broadly ovate, leathery, deep green leaves marked with pale veins and reaching up to 30cm long. In summer it sends out arching panicles of pink flowers around 2.5cm across, each cluster held beneath conspicuous pink bracts. Left to grow, it forms a bushy upright shrub reaching 1.5 to 2.5 metres in height.
Source: RHS
Watch For Scale
Scale insects are the main pest concern for this plant, worth checking for along stems and leaf undersides. Beyond that, it is generally free of disease problems.
Source: RHS
Pruning Group Nine
This shrub falls into pruning group nine, the RHS category for evergreen shrubs requiring only routine tidying rather than hard seasonal cutting back.
Source: RHS
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 7-12d)
- Humidity
- ai:claude-opus-4-8
- Soil
- ai:claude-fable-5
- Care
- ai:claude-fable-5
Bright, indirect
≈ every 12 days
High
18–29 °C
Airy, humus-rich mix with orchid bark and perlite
Stem cuttings under warmth and high humidity
Balanced liquid feed monthly in spring and summer
Moderate
Cascading pink flower panicles under warm, humid conditions
Not yet documented
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.
PrimarySources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-12d) · ai:claude-fable-5
Kept true by its growers
Every fact here carries its source. Grow Medinilla formosana yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — and a clear photo of your plant are exactly what keep this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.
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