Boea

Boea is a genus of plants in the family Gesneriaceae, with species originating from Australia, China, India, Malaysia, Birma, Philippines, Polynesia, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Nepal, Bhutan, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos. Boea make good house plants, but also successfully grow in the wild. For example, B. hygroscopica, also known as the Queensland rock violet in Australia, occurs in Cape York Peninsula and Northeast Queensland as far south as Rockhampton, within an altitude range from 60–900 metres (200–2,950 ft). It grows along creek beds, on moist banks, moss-covered rocks in rainforest, open forest, vine forest and gallery forest. Some Boea species are known as types of resurrection plant due to their ability to survive desiccation (e.g. B. hygrometrica and B. hygroscopica). These cultivation notes are based on B. hygroscopica, a species from Northern Queensland, Australia. Boea hygroscopica grows to about 15 centimetres (6 in), and forms a dense, velvety clump that flowers over many weeks in the warm months. A well-drained soil is suggested for this plant, achieved by using a potting mix with 20% sand content, and 5mm (~0.2 inches) of scoria or other drainage material in the bottom of the pot. A fertiliser with an NPK ratio of about 13.8:3.2:9.9, plus trace elements, is recommended.