Happy Monday! Our Plant of the Week this week is: Pentas! They’re treated as a spring annual here and they love our hot, humid weather. This is because Pentas originate from East Africa and Yemen. Did you know? The name Pentas comes from the Greek word for five, referring to the five petals found on each tiny flower.
Most Pentas are considered self-cleaning, which means they don’t need to be deadheaded to keep blooming beautifully! They come in red, white, lavender, and pink; red is thought of as the most popular for attracting hummingbirds. Lastly, Pentas lanceolata belongs to the Rubiaceae family, which is the same family as coffee. Interestingly, Penta flowers are also edible, although I don’t think they’ll help wake you up in the morning 