The Mussaenda Doña Luz, which was named after First Lady Luz Banzon-Magsaysay, wife of President Ramon Magsaysay

The Mussaendas are attractive additions to open space landscaping. With their colorful modified leaves of bright reds, pinks and whites, they serve as ideal accents to the monotonous greens of a garden. They bloom almost all year round, except from January to March when they are less floriferous.

Mussaendas are tropical shrubs or sub-shrubs (usually found growing beside very large trees), and have an average height of about 10 feet tall. They can, however, be can be trained as a single specimen of five feet in height on the ground or less than three feet in containers.

Each flower is composed of an inconspicuous small tubular five-petal corolla in orangey-yellow and five greatly enlarged sepals (bracts). It is really these showy corymbs of white, off-white, pink or bright red enlarged leaf-like sepals that contrast beautifully against their dark green elliptic to ovate leaves.

Collectively known as Doñas, as they were named after the First Ladies of former Philippine presidents, Mussaendas are cultivated throughout the country. They are considered a breakthrough in Philippine horticulture, as one of the parent plants is indigenously Filipino. They are also very much sought after in other tropical countries.

The plant is also known in other names like Tropical Dogwood, Virgin Tree and Kahoy Dalaga. It belongs to the plant family Rubiaceae, which also includes the common Santan.

The development of the Mussaenda hybrids gained momentum when a white mutant of the species Mussaendawas discovered in Mt. Makiling, UP Los Baños in 1915. This species was named “Doña Aurora” in 1938 in honor of the wife of President Manuel L. Quezon. The late Dr. Dioscoro L. Umali, plant breeder and former Dean of the UP College of Agriculture, initiated the development of the hybrids in 1948 using Mussaenda erythrophylla, a species native to India. He used a single red petaloid and the Doña Aurora as parents. Continuous crossing and backcrossing resulted into the present colorful hybrids of Mussaendas that differ in the number of petaloids depending on the parents used.

Naming of the hybrids after the Philippine First Ladies has become a tradition.  They include the Mussaendas Doña Amelita, Gining Imelda, Doña Alicia, M. Doña Esperanza, Doña Hilaria, Doña Luz, Doña Pacencia, and Doña Trining.  In 1986, some hybrids were given popular local names like Diwata, Paraluman, Lakambini, and Maria Clara. 

Two hybrids were named after the country’s two female presidents – the Mussaendas Corazon C. Aquino and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The latter is a cross between Doña Evangelina, which has full, deep red petaloids as the female parent and Doña Aurora’ (the first Mussaenda to be named after a first lady), which has full white petaloids, as the male parent.

The hybrid befits President Arroyo since she is the daughter of a former First Lady after whom the female parent was named. It has also the smallest petaloids among the hybrids. Both mother and daughter Mussaendas are very hard to propagate. On the other hand, the male parent is the most popular and well known among the Mussaendas.

Mussaenda Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is officially registered with the National Seed Industry Council of the Department of Agriculture.

Cultural Requirements:

Light. Although Mussaendas can tolerate semi-shaded conditions, the plants tend to be more floriferous with strong branches when exposed to full sunlight. It’s going to need filtered mid-day sunlight in hot climates to prevent the scorching of leaves.

Watering. The plant should never be overwatered, or the roots will rot. It’s also sensitive to prolonged flooding.

Soil and potting technique. The plant thrives in well-drained loamy soil for optimum growth. Some can be planted in large clay pots and may be trained to substitute for the Christmas poinsettia due to its bright red, pink or white flowers.

Fertilization. For optimum growth, the plant needs regular fertilization by mixing about one teaspoon of complete fertilizer 14-14-14 on the soil every month for potted plants. For large trees, application of about 200 grams of complete fertilizer before and after the rainy season is sufficient. Organic fertilizers can also be an option to synthetic fertilizers.

Controlling pest and disease Mussaendas don’t have known serious insect or disease problems. But growers need to watch out for spider mite and white fly infestations in indoor plants. This can be remedied by spraying a dilute soap solution on the whole plant.  The soil must never be water-lagged to prevent fungal and bacterial diseases in the roots.

Other special requirements

The shrub needs regular yearly pruning as the branches becomeleaf-heavy and may tend to bend and break during heavy rains, strong wind or during typhoons.