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Basket Vine

Aeschynanthus humilis, Gesneriaceae

Sources last read 13 September 2026.

Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.

Also called Lipstick Plant and Lipstick Vine.

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Toxicity is partly unassessed

  • Listed as non-toxic to cats by ASPCA.
  • Listed as non-toxic to dogs by ASPCA.
  • Not assessed for people. NC State Extension publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.

What the sources say about its care

Light
Dappled Sunlight, Partial Shade
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Water
Good Drainage, Moist
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Humidity

No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.

ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%
Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Soil
High Organic Matter; pH Neutral (6.0-8.0)
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to cats
Non-toxic
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to dogs
Non-toxic
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Harmful to people
No record of poisoning in people is listed for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

Routine care

Watering
Water regularly, particularly when grown in a hanging basket, though the soil should dry slightly between waterings. Drafts or incorrect watering can make lower leaves drop.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Propagation
Stem cuttings can be used for propagation.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Pruning
Once flowering is over, cut the stems back to roughly 6 inches to promote new growth.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

Move something and watch

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About the plant

Aeschynanthus humilis is a species of flowering plant in the family Gesneriaceae. It is an epiphyte with leathery leaves, red flowers, and capsule fruits. The species is native to east Asia, and was described in 1903.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026

Native range
China (Yunnan) to N. Indo-China
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
China, Indo-China
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Climate
wet tropical
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Growth form
epiphytic subshrub
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Epiphyte, Herbaceous Perennial; habit arching, erect
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 4–8 in; width 8–36 in
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Flowering
Flowers gold/yellow, orange, red/burgundy; blooms in fall, spring, summer
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

Other Aeschynanthus

More of the Gesneriaceae family

Plants with similar care

Sources

What this does not cover

The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.

Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.

If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.