About Eranthemum pulchellum Andrews
Eranthemum pulchellum, commonly known as blue eranthemum or blue sage, is a flowering plant species belonging to the acanthus family Acanthaceae. It is native to the Himalayas, western China, India and Nepal. This is a strongly branched evergreen shrub that is popular with gardeners, due to its spikes of bright gentian blue flowers, which are an unusual color for tropical plants. The flowers emerge from green-and-white veined bracts; these bracts remain after the blooms fall off, forming a column several centimetres long. Its large, dark green leaves are hairy. It is a sprawling shrub that can reach a height of one metre or more. E. pulchellum is usually pruned to stay shorter and grow into a bushier form. It prefers light shade when grown in a garden, and requires warm conditions when grown in a greenhouse. It can be easily propagated from cuttings. Its Latin specific epithet pulchellum translates to "beautiful". In the United Kingdom, this plant has received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
