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Canterbury-Bell

Gloxinia perennis, Gesneriaceae

Sources last read 14 September 2026.

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

Also called Canterbury bells.

Canterbury-Bell (Gloxinia perennis), the whole plant.
Nativeplants garden, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Toxicity is partly unassessed

  • Listed as non-toxic to cats by ASPCA.
  • Listed as non-toxic to dogs by ASPCA.
  • Not assessed for people. RHS 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
Partial shade
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Water
Moist but well-drained
RHS · 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
Temperature

How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.

H1B — 10–15°C 10–15 °C
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Soil
Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or Neutral
RHS · 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 statement of harm to people is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Routine care

Watering
Plant it in fertile soil that drains well, and give it enough water and fertilizer.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
During growth, water generously and feed every 2 or 3 weeks with a balanced liquid fertiliser.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Feeding
Plant in fertile, well-drained soil, and give enough water and fertilizer.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
While growing, water generously and feed every 2 or 3 weeks with a balanced liquid fertiliser.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Propagation
In spring, sow seed at 19-24°C or divide.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pruning
Pruning is not needed.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pests and diseases
Diseases: Phytophthora blight and root rot.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Western flower thrips, tarsonemid mite and vine weevil can attack it. Disease risk: powdery mildews.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Move something and watch

Loading the simulator. It needs JavaScript; the care table above does not.

Flowers of Canterbury-Bell (Gloxinia perennis).
FlowersV C balakrishnan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

About the plant

Gloxinia perennis is a species of tropical rhizomatous herbaceous flowering plant belonging to the family Gesneriaceae. It is sometimes known as "Canterbury bells".

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

Native range
Trinidad, Costa Rica to N. Bolivia and Brazil
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
South America
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Panama to Peru
RHS · 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
tuberous geophyte
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Annual, Herbaceous Perennial; habit erect
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Bushy (evergreen)
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 24–72 in
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Height 1-1.5 metres; spread 1-1.5 metres after 2–5 years
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Flowering
Flowers blue, purple/lavender; blooms in fall, summer
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Flowers purple in summer and autumn; blue in summer and autumn
RHS · read 13 September 2026

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.