Sign in Start free
Species library › Streptocarpus › Streptocarpus formosus
Other Partly documented

Streptocarpus formosus

A rosette-forming Cape primrose from the coastal forests of Pondoland and southern KwaZulu-Natal, with large pale flowers. It grows on shaded, moist forest banks in a warm, humid climate with a drier, milder winter. Grow it like other rosulate Streptocarpus: bright shade, airy mix, even moisture, slightly drier in winter.

Streptocarpus formosus
Photo: Tekwani, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry
Light ShadeDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Shaded banks, rock faces and stream gorges in coastal and scarp forest of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. Rosette Streptocarpus root in humus and moss on steep, well-drained ground.

Most records lie near the coast at roughly 50 to 400 m; one site is near 1,160 m.

South Africa (Eastern Cape)South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal)

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

Grow Streptocarpus formosus? Add it to a free garden and its full profile opens. Pro opens all 38,374 profiles in the library, plants and fungi.

Start free Sign in

More Streptocarpus

Streptocarpus afroviola Streptocarpus ionanthus Streptocarpus rexii Streptocarpus goetzeanus Streptocarpus ulugurensis Streptocarpus brevipilosus Streptocarpus nitidus Streptocarpus albus Streptocarpus glandulosissimus Streptocarpus saxorum Streptocarpus inconspicuus Streptocarpus shumensis All 184 →

Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY-SA 3.0 licence, unmodified.