Boea

Boea
Boea hygroscopica
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Subkingdom:	Tracheobionta
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Subclass:	Asteridae
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Gesneriaceae
Subfamily:	Cyrtandroideae
Tribe:	Didymocarpeae
Genus:	Boea Comm. ex Lam.
Type species
Boea magellanica Lam.
Species
See text
Synonyms
Dorcoceras Bunge Chleterus Raf. (1814)

Boea is a genus of the plants in the Gesneriaceae (Gesneriads) family, 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 (see main image), but also successfully grow in the wild.

For example, Boea 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 altitudide range from 60-900 metres. 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 dessication (e.g. Boea hygrometrica and Boea hygroscopica) .

Cultivation

These cultivation notes are based on Boea hygroscopica, a species from Northern Queensland, Australia.

Boea hygroscopica grows to about 15cm (~6 inches), and forms a dense, velvety clump that flowers over many weeks in the warm months.

Suggested soil for this plant is:

• Potting mix with 20% sand mixed in
• 5mm (~0.2 inches) of scoria or other drainage material in the bottom of the pot
• Fertiliser with an [[NPK] ratio of about 13.8:3.2:9.9, plus trace elements.

This plant prefers bright, filtered like, possibly with some early-morning direct sun. Pot on as needed. It can be planted in the garden in a well drained, consistently moist location.

The only major pests of this plant are chewing insects such as grasshoppers and caterpillars.

Species

The Smithsonian lists the following Boea species .

Boea clarkeana	Boea dennisii	Boea esquirolii
Boea geoffrayi	Boea hemsleyana	Boea hians
Boea hygrometrica	Boea hygroscopica	Boea kinnearii
Boea lawesii	Boea magellanica	Boea mollis
Boea philippensis	Boea rosselensis	Boea urvillei
Boea wallichii

The Smithsonian also lists:

• Kaisupeea herbacea with the basionym: Boea herbacea
• Leptoboea multiflora with the previous synonym Boea multiflora