Cape figwort

Description

Phygelius capensis, the cape figwort or cape fuchsia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Scrophulariaceae, native to South Africa. It is a semi-evergreen shrub growing to 120 cm (47 in) tall by 150 cm (59 in) wide. The oval leaves are up to 9 cm (4 in). Throughout summer it produces upright panicles, 60 cm (24 in) long, of narrowly tubular flowers 5 cm (2 in) long. The flowers are of an orange-pink colour along the outline of the petals, with a yellow center. There are five green leaves on every flower, and each leaf has a small point on it, which is referred to as a tooth of the leaf. The flowers often point back towards the stem. They also surround the stem, unlike P. aequalis where the flowers appear all on one side of the stem.The plant has an exceptionally long blooming season of roughly six months, from May to November. This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.