Species · genus Strobilanthes · Acanthaceae

Persian Shield

Strobilanthes auriculata Nees

Also known as: Royal Purple Plant

Growth habit

subshrub or shrub

Native range

Assam, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China South-Central, China Southeast, East Himalaya, Laos, Malaya, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam

Reference · S. auriculata

Cultivars of S. auriculata

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

No named cultivars catalogued under S. auriculata 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 subshrub of warm, monsoonal South and Southeast Asian foothills, this Strobilanthes wants warmth and bright indirect light rather than harsh direct sun. It prefers steady, even moisture through its growing season but resents sitting wet, so water when the top inch of mix has dried, letting the surface approach dryness between drinks. In drier indoor air it may flag at the leaf tips; a little extra humidity helps, though average home conditions are usually adequate.

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 5-10d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 10 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

15–27 °C

Soil mix

Rich, moisture-retentive but well-draining mix

Propagation

Softwood stem cuttings rooted in moist mix

Fertilizing

Balanced feed monthly in spring and summer

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Blue-purple tubular flowers under bright, indirect light

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

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.

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 5-10d) · ai:claude-fable-5

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Persian Shield 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.