Columnea Krakatau

Flora and fauna in one

Columnea Krakatau is certainly eye-catching. With a bit of imagination, the bright orange flowers resemble a familiar household pet. Can you see it? Yes, the goldfish! That’s why the plant is also known in some countries as the flying goldfish plant. So Columnea Krakatau doesn’t just bring greenery into your home, but also a new companion. 

Colomnea Krakatau Mooiwatplantendoen.nl

Colours and shapes

Columnea Krakatau’s flowers span the range from yellow to red, with dark orange as the most eye-catching colour. They make a lovely contrast with the fresh green leaves. The plant is easy to look after, which makes it very popular. 

Symbolism

There is no symbolism known for the Columnea Krakatau. But it is fun to know that in the wild, the plant has an unusual pollinator: the hummingbird. The shape of the flowers allows the hummingbird to hover like a helicopter. That enables the birds to reach the nectar and the plant to be pollinated. 

Origin

Columnea Krakatau is an as yet fairly unknown houseplant from the Caribbean and South America.  Columnea is the botanical name of a genus of around 200 species of plants from the Gesneriaceae family. They're convivial plants, since in the wild they grow as epiphytes.