About Mussaenda erythrophylla Schumach. & Thonn.
Mussaenda erythrophylla Schumach. & Thonn., commonly called Ashanti blood, red flag bush, and tropical dogwood, is an evergreen shrub native to West Africa. Its bracts can come in a range of different shades, including red, rose, white, pale pink, or mixtures of these shades. This species grows best in warmly temperate or subtropical climates, and becomes semideciduous in cooler regions. In its natural wild habitat, the shrub can scramble to reach up to 10 meters (33 feet) tall, but it stays compact when grown under cultivation. The shrub's star-shaped flowers are 10 millimeters (0.39 inches) in diameter, and each flower has one modified sepal. Caterpillars of the Commander (Limenitis procris), a species of brush-footed butterfly, use this plant as a food source.
