Hypoestes

A bright plant with coloured freckles

With ribbed leaves, which change colour in the sun, the Hypoestes brightens up your home all year round!

COLORS AND SHAPES
The Hypoestes is a small plant with elegant, oval-shaped leaves. The leaves can be green, creamy white, pink or red. This plant is often confused with the Fittonia, but although they're very similar, they can be distinguished by their veins: the Hypoestes has green veins, are the Fittonia has pink or white veins. In addition,  "spots" of the Hypoestes are less regular than those of the Fittonia, making them look like freckles. Just as freckles do, the spots intensify as the plant receives more light. The Hypoestes is also called "freckle face". In summer, the Hypoestes produces small, lavender-blue flowers.

SYMBOLISM
The name Hypoestes comes from the Greek, 'hypo' which means 'under' and 'estia' which means 'house'. This refers to the fact that the flowers are surrounded by a kind of canopy.The Hypoestes is also called the ephelid plant. A term derived from the Greek "epi", which means "because of" and "helios", which means "the sun."

ORIGIN
The Hypoestes belongs to the Acanthaceae family (Acanthus-like). The plant is originally from the tropical rainforests of Madagascar, where the plant reaches a height of no less than 1 metre. The Hypoestes can also be found in other places with a subtropical climate, such as in South Africa and Eastern Australia