Egyptian Starcluster
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.
Also called Egyptian star, Egyptian star cluster, Egyptian Star flower, Pentas and star cluster.
Toxicity is partly unassessed
- Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- 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
- Full sunRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Water
- Moist but well-drained or Well-drainedRHS · 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.
H1C — 5–10°C 5–10 °CRHS · read 13 September 2026- Soil
- Loam; pH Acid or Alkaline or NeutralRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.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
- After planting, water steadily and let the soil dry between waterings.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Propagation
- Seed germinates readily when started inside 8 to 10 weeks ahead of the last frost date.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026In spring sow seed at 16-18°C, or take softwood cuttings.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- In late winter, pruning group 9. Under glass, restrictive pruning may be needed.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Can be troubled by aphids.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Can be troubled by red spider mite and aphids. Diseases: usually none.RHS · read 13 September 2026
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Photographs
About the plant
Pentas lanceolata, commonly known as Egyptian starcluster, is a species of flowering plant in the madder family, Rubiaceae that is native to tropical Africa from Sudan to Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mozambique, as well as Saudi Arabia and Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula. It is sometimes planted in butterfly gardens.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- Ethiopia to Mozambique, Comoros, Arabian Pen.World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Arabian penninsula and Yemen to east Africa.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- seasonally dry tropicalWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- subshrub or shrubWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Annual, Herbaceous Perennial, Perennial, Shrub; habit dense, spreadingNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Bushy (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 12–24 in; width 9–24 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height 1.5-2.5 metres; spread 0.5-1 metres after 2–5 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers pink, purple/lavender, red/burgundy, white; blooms in fall, summerNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Flowers pink in spring, summer and autumn; purple in spring, summer and autumn; white in spring, summer and autumnRHS · read 13 September 2026
More of the Rubiaceae family
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Sources
- ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Wikipedia · read 13 September 2026
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.