IXORA coccinea

Spectacular shrub, perennial and evergreen, with rapid growth, with an open and thick habit, of Asian origins: when fully developed it can exceed 2 m in height and almost as many in width. Lignified and well branched from the base, it has some stems with an erect, vertical trend and others that bend slightly towards the outside, giving a fluffy, soft appearance to the plant. The leaves, arranged in an opposite way, are of medium size, glossy leathery and glabrous, elliptical with smooth slightly crinkled margins and acute apex, of bright green color, almost devoid of petiole and elegantly contrasting with the reddish-brownish bark of the branches. From late summer to autumn on the apical parts of the stems abundantly large and dense hemispherical inflorescences appear composed of small 4-petalled flowers of a warm red-orange with a long duration: these follow in autumn, but hardly in our latitudes, small spherical fruits of blackish pulpy color and with a single central seed.

It prefers luminous and sunny positions or at most a partial shade and grows to any type of soil but shows preference for the cool, humid and rich ones. It does not like saltiness typical of sea winds in coastal areas, therefore in these areas ensure to choose a protected position; it bears little periods of drought and indeed takes advantage of periodic constant summer watering. It withstands minimum winter temperatures only a few degrees below zero, therefore in regions where the cold is lasting and intense, give it a sheltered position or, even better, guarantee it shelter in a cool and bright environment in winter. In spring at the vegetative restart we can remove dry, damaged or bulky portions and at the same time generously shorten the various branches in order to allow a more dense growth and stimulate the subsequent summer flowering. Refined choice for large pots and containers of balconies and terraces or hanging gardens in general; in the open ground it can be used, by arranging several specimens in sequence, for the creation of truly original and colorful green hedges and barriers: however, its use alone, or combined with other shrubs with scalar and complementary blooms, will also be guaranteed to create corners with a decidedly tropical flavor.