page_title: Lophospermum
section_title: Cultivation
hierarchical_section_title: Lophospermum / Cultivation
caption_attribution_description: English: Comparison between the flowers and leaves of a typical cultivated species of Lophospermum (L.&#160;scandens) and of Maurandya (M.&#160;barclayana): Flower of Maurandya – shorter tube with narrower sepals Leaf of Maurandya – untoothed edges Flower of Lophospermum – longer tube with broader sepals Leaf of Lophospermum – toothed edges
context_page_description: Lophospermum is a genus of herbaceous perennial climbers or scramblers, native to mountainous regions of Mexico and Guatemala. Those that climb use twining leaf stalks. Their flowers are tubular, in shades of red, violet and purple, the larger flowers being pollinated by hummingbirds. Now placed in the greatly expanded family Plantaginaceae, the genus was traditionally placed in the Scrophulariaceae. The close relationship with some other genera, particularly Maurandya and Rhodochiton, has led to confusion over the names of some species.
  Lophospermum erubescens and Lophospermum scandens are cultivated as ornamental plants, as climbers or trailers. Various Lophospermum cultivars are grown, often under trade names such as "Lofos®".
context_section_description: Lophospermum erubescens has been cultivated as an ornamental climber since at least the 19th century. Joseph Paxton described its cultivation in 1836, saying that it was "a very fine creeper and deserves growing by every lover of plants". Other species that have been cultivated include L. purpusii and L. scandens. Some cultivars of Lophospermum are available; Suntory Flowers (a division of the Japanese firm Suntory) has introduced a number under the registered name "Lofos®", with selling names such as Compact White, Compact Pink, Wine Red (='Sunasaro') and Summer Cream (='Sunasashiro'). Those which are the subject of US Plant Patents are described as originating from the hybrid Lophospermum scandens × L. erubescens, a hybrid known since the 1840s.
  As noted above, Lophospermum species have in the past been placed in Maurandya and the two genera have regularly been confused, particularly in cultivation. For example, the cultivar Lophospermum 'Magic Dragon' (a cross between Lophospermum 'Red Dragon' and L. erubescens) was patented under the genus name Maurandya. Cultivated species of Lophospermum have longer flowers than those of Maurandya and leaves with toothed rather than entire margins. The Suntory cultivars were patented under the generic name Asarina, now treated as an entirely European genus.
  Plants may be grown from seed and treated as annuals. In frost-free climates, or where the roots can be protected from frost, plants may be perennial, regrowing from the base after dying back in the winter. Selected forms and cultivars may be grown from cuttings.
caption: Comparison of Lophospermum scandens with Maurandya barclayana:
   1 Maurandya flower is shorter with narrower sepals
   2 Maurandya leaf is smooth with entire (untoothed) margins
   3 Lophospermum flower is longer with broader sepals
   4 Lophospermum leaf is somewhat hairy with toothed margins
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