African Hosta, Drimiopsis Maculata Plant

Description

African Hosta, Drimiopsis Maculata Plant

Botanical Name- Drimiopsis Maculata

Drimiopsis Maculata, also known by the common names little white soldiers, African false hosta, African hosta, leopard plant, is a flowering plant species in the genus Drimiopsis. It is the type species of its genus. It occurs from Tanzania to South Africa. Fast growing. Could be used as table tops indoor.

Drimiopsis Maculata is a robust bulbous plant that spreads rapidly and has beautifully spotted leaves (maculata means “spotted”). Foliage is topped in spring with tall spikes of tiny green and off-white bells, making quite a show when the clumps get large.

• Leaves

Light green leaves with dark green spot. The fleshy leaves are 4 to 6 inches long and striped with dark green to white. The strips being darker in the spring and often fade by summer’s end. The entire plant rarely gets taller than 6 inches.

• Flowers

Flowers of African hosta can appear throughout spring and early summer. The creamy white, bell-shaped flowers grow in dense clusters at the end of a stalk held several inches above the foliage. They resemble white grape hyacinth (Muscari).

Plant Care

Light: It can be grown in almost any light while acknowledging that it might need more water in full sun

Water: Can survive long periods of drought. Water monthly or less in winter, alternate or twice a week in summer.

Fertilizer: It requires little more than a light application of a balanced fertilizer in early spring. In fact, it survives well with no additional fertilizer.

Soil: It tolerates almost any soil type as long as it drains moderately well.

Propagation: 

Propagation is by clump division. Because the bulbs multiply slowly, the division will usually not be necessary for several years. Separate the bulbs or individual plants and replant them three to four inches apart to create a small pocket of ground cover.

How to use African Hosta

The waxy, spotted foliage makes African hosta an interesting choice for containers on covered porches. The lack of direct sunlight will not bother it.

• In a pot- To make an attractive pot, place the plants only a couple of inches apart to create a mound of showy foliage. If you prefer a mixed container, remember to plant it with other shade-loving plants that do well in containers, such as oxalis, begonias and impatiens.

• In flower bed- In flower beds, African hosta can make an excellent ground cover if planted in sufficient quantity and fairly close together. Because the plants are difficult to find, consider planting as a small pocket among rocks or in combination beneath the shade of other, larger plants.