About Sarmienta scandens (Brandis) Pers.
Sarmienta scandens is a creeping evergreen perennial that reaches just 10 cm (3.9 in) tall by 50 cm (20 in) broad. It has small oval leaves and produces pendent scarlet pitcher-shaped flowers during the summer. In temperate regions, it is usually grown under glass, either cultivated as an epiphyte or planted in a specialist potting medium that contains leaf mould or sphagnum moss. It can be placed outside during the summer months in a warm, sheltered spot where temperatures do not fall below 5 °C (41 °F), but it can survive brief periods of temperatures as low as 0 °C (32 °F). This plant is still widely advertised under the name Sarmienta repens, which is now considered an illegitimate name. Sarmienta scandens has received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
