Leea Burgundy Care Indoors | Leea coccinea Care Tips

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Botanical name: Leea coccinea
Synonym: Leea guineensis
Family: Leeaceae
Common names: Leea Burgundy, Red Leea, Hawaiian Holly, West Indian Holly 'Rubra'

Description

Leea Burgundy also called Red Leea, Hawaiian Holly or West Indian Holly 'Rubra' is a rare but a perfect stand alone houseplant whose foliage in young plants is bronzy red but turns green when mature.

Leea coccinea 'Rubra’ is a cultivar which features dark-red stems, bronze-red leaves, red flowers which are pinkish inside and scarlet fruits.

Size

Leea coccinea also called Leea guineensis can grow to a height of 6-8 ft and a width of about 4-5 ft.

Flower

Leea flowers are attractive to wasps, bees, butterflies, flies and bettles which act as potential insect pollinators. However, it rarely blooms when grown indoors.

It produces red flowers which later turn pink. The fruits are black berries.

Origin

Leea is a genus of plants that are distributed throughout Northern and Eastern Australia, New Guinea, South and Southeast Asia and parts of Africa.

There are about 70 species and they are placed in the Vitaceae family. But based on morphological differences, Leea plants are often placed in their family Leeaceae.

The genus was named by Linnaes after James Lee, the Scottish nurseryman based in Hammersmith, London who introduced many new plant discoveries to England at the end of the 18th century.

Toxicity

Leea Burgundy (Leea coccinea) produces a milky sap which can irritate the skin. Always wear gloves when handling the plant. The plant is toxic to both humans and pets if ingested.

Leea coccinea Care Indoors

Leea Burgundy Plant (Leea coccinea) does well in medium to bright light away from hot direct sunshine, average warmth and consistently moist, fertile, well-drained soil coupled with regular feeding during the growing season.

Leea coccinea has no need for extra humidity. It requires regular pruning to keep it neat as well as encourage a bushy growth. Repotting is needed only when it becomes pot-bound. Keep reading for more on these growing conditions and how to provide them.

Temperature and Humidity

Leea Burgundy requires an average warmth within the range of 18-29⁰C during the growing season. Keep it away from drafts and temperatures below 10⁰C as they can cause leaf drop.

Leea Burgundy has no need for high humidity. Average room humidity is ideal for the plant. To get rid of dust from the leaves and also discourage pest infestation, splash the Leea Burgundy foliage with plenty of water from a steady jet of water.

Light Requirements

Leea Burgundy grows best in medium to bright light away from hot direct sunshine as it causes the foliage to turn yellowish. Low light causes loss of leaf color.

Regularly rotate the pot to ensure that the plant receives light on all sides for uniform growth.

Leea coccinea can also be grown under a grow light where natural light is inadequate.

Watering

Water Leea Burgundy thoroughly during the growing season and maintain the soil consistently moist thorough out the season.

Reduce watering during the cold season to maintain the soil slightly moist but do not let the soil dry out completely.

Make sure that the pot has a drainage hole and the soil is free-draining to prevent the soil from getting soggy as it can lead to root-rot disease.

Potting Mix

The best potting medium for Leea Burgundy should be rich in organic matter and free-draining to prevent it from getting soggy while providing the required nutrients.

Most multi-purpose potting mixes are ideal for Leea Burgundy like this quality Potting Mix available on Amazon.

Fertilizer

Feed Leea Burgundy with a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer every 3-4 weeks during the growing season. Stop feeding during the cold season as growth is minimal and feeding at this time can lead to fertilizer burn.

Repotting

Repot a young Leea Burgundy at the beginning of the growing season into a pot 2 sizes larger than the current one.

Ensure that the pot has a drainage hole and the soil is free-draining to avoid soggy soil as it can lead to root-rot disease. Check out these Self Watering Planters with Drainage Hole on Amazon.

Replace the top 2-3 in. of soil every 2-3 years for mature Leea Burgundy plants while taking care not to injure the roots as it can lead to disease infestation.

Pruning

Pruning Leea Burgundy involves removal of yellow and dead leaves to keep it neat and tidy as well as discourage pests and diseases infestation.

Pinch the growing tips to encourage a bushy and compact growth. Cutback the stems with a sharp, clean pair of pruning scissors at the beginning of the growing season when the plant becomes overgrown to rejuvenate growth.

Propagation

Leea Burgundy propagation is easily done from stem-tip cuttings at the beginning of the growing season.

Stem-tip cuttings are taken from the upper part of the plant. Here is a detailed account on how to propagate Leea Burgundy Plant.

Leea coccinea Problems

Leea Burgundy Plant (Leea coccinea) problems include yellow leaves, dropping leaves, leaf spots, loss of leaf color, stunted growth among others. Keep reading for more on these problems and how to fix them.

Yellowing and dropping leaves

Leea Burgundy yellowing and dropping leaves is caused by three possible reasons. One possible cause of yellowing and dropping leaves is incorrect watering; either overwatering or underwatering.

Water the plant liberally to maintain the soil consistently moist during the growing season.

Cut down on watering in the cold season to maintain the soil slightly moist but never allow the soil to dry out completely.

The second possible cause of yellowing and dropping leaves in Leea Burgundy is cold draughts like windy doors and windows, cold air from air conditioning units among others.

Keep the plant away from cold draughts to maintain an average warmth with a minimum of 12⁰C.

The third possible cause of yellowing and dropping leaves in Leea Burgundy is sudden change in the growing conditions.

Avoid moving the plant suddenly before acclimating it to the new growing conditions.

Loss of leaf color

Leea Burgundy loss of leaf color is due to too little light. The plant grows best in bright light to light shade away from direct sunlight.

Too little light will cause the plant to loss the beautiful leaf color. Move the plant to a brighter spot where it will receive bright light to light shade away from direct sunlight or instal a grow light where natural light is inadequate.

Stunted growth

Stunted growth in Leea Burgundy is due to two possible reasons. One possible reason for stunted growth is inadequate feeding (underfeeding).

Feed the plant every 3-4 weeks during the growing season with a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer but do not feed during the cold season.

The second possible reason for stunted growth in Leea Burgundy is too little light as it grows best in bright light to light shade away from direct sunlight.

Position the plant in a brighter spot where it will receive bright light to light shade but away from direct sunlight or instal a grow light where natural light is inadequate.

Yellow and dark leaf spots

Leea Burgundy yellow and dark leaf spots are due to exposure to hot direct sunlight. The plant grows best in bright light to light shade away from direct sunlight, therefore, move it to a shadier place or shield it from direct sunlight.