Click on any image to open the slideshow
Pentas lanceolata
Egyptian Starcluster
Pentas
Star Flower
Not native to Florida
This is a commonly used landscape plant in Florida that is native to Africa and has escaped into disturbed sites in Miami-Dade County.
A perennial evergreen shrub that can grow to a little over a meter (3-4 ft.) tall. The star shaped flowers are in globular clusters about 8-10cm (~3-4 in.) in diameter and are mostly red, pink or white but sometimes lavender to violet or two-toned. Each flower has a long tube that flares out into a five-pointed star shape. The leaves are elliptic to lanceolate an up to 15 cm (6 in.) long.
Pentas are very attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds will feed at the red flowers.
The genus name Pentas is the Greek word for five and refers to the five-lobed flowers.
Pentas lanceolata is a member of the Rubiaceae - Madder family.
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Sep 03, 2021
