Fittonia

Fittonia

Fittonia (nerve plant) is a genus of flowering plants in the acanthus family Acanthaceae, native to tropical rainforest in South America, mainly Peru.The most commonly grown are F. albivenis and its cultivars. They are spreading evergreen perennials growing 10–15 cm (4–6 in) tall. They bear lush green leaves with accented veins of white to deep pink and have a short fuzz covering their stems. Small buds may appear after a time where the stem splits into leaves. Flowers are small with a white to off-white colour. Plants are best kept in a moist area with mild sunlight and temperatures above 55 °F (13 °C), therefore in temperate areas they must be grown as houseplants. Without water for a few days, this plant is known to "faint" but is easily revived with a quick watering. Its spreading habit makes it ideal as groundcover. Another species of Fittonia is the [[Fittonia verschaffeltii [F. verschaffeltii]]. This species has features that are typically seen in species from the Acanthaceae family, such as a diacytic stomata, glandular hairs with globular heads, and cystoliths present. Lens cells that are present on the outer dermis of F. verschaffeltii make the species distinct from others of the same genus.

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