Pentas lanceolata 'Starcluster Red' Plants GrowTropicals
Egyptian Star

Pentas lanceolata 'Starcluster Red'

£9.99
Hard to killSun-loverPet-safe
Pot size
13cm £9.99

FREE tracked delivery on orders over £60

Complete the set up
Jungle Mix - Premium Houseplant Potting Mix
The perfect soil Jungle Mix - Premium Houseplant Potting Mix · 2.5L · £4.99
Description

Pentas lanceolata 'Starcluster Red' is a compact flowering houseplant valued for its domed heads of small, star-shaped red flowers. It blooms over a long season and does well on a bright windowsill, where the vivid red heads glow against fresh green leaves. Butterflies and bees are drawn to it outdoors in summer.

Origins

The species comes from tropical East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, where it grows as an evergreen, woody-based perennial. It belongs to the Rubiaceae family, the same group as coffee and gardenia. In the UK it is sold as an indoor or conservatory plant because it needs warmth through the year and will not cope with frost.

Care

Give it as much light as you can, ideally a few hours of direct sun each day. Water when the top few centimetres of compost have started to dry, then water thoroughly and let the excess drain away. Normal room humidity is fine. Keep it in a warm room above 10C and away from cold draughts. Pinch off faded flower heads to keep new buds coming. Pentas is not known to be toxic to cats or dogs.

Live Arrival Guarantee

All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit, and every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something is not right on arrival, we will make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.

Find out more

Delivery & returns

Order by 1pm Monday to Friday for same day dispatch. Every plant travels in protective, plant-safe packaging with tracked delivery.

Changed your mind? See our Return Policy.

Best quality plants guaranteed
7 day live arrival guarantee
Delivered to your door with care
Earn 49 points with this plant · 5 points per £1 Join free

How to care for Egyptian Star

Give me your sunniest windowsill and water me once my top few centimetres feel dry.

In their words

What our customers say

Arrived just like the photos - maybe even fuller. Healthy, well-acclimated, and straight into my collection with no issues.

Emily P.

Flawless leaves, stunning variegation, and clearly cared for by experts. It’s already a talking point in my home office.

James R.

Hard to find rare plants that are pet-safe. Ours arrived in perfect condition and looks amazing without any worry.

Sophie L.
Get to know me

About Egyptian Star

Pentas lanceolata 'Starcluster Red' is an easy-care houseplant. It needs bright direct light, watering once the top 2 to 3cm of compost has dried out, average household humidity and a minimum temperature of 10°C. It is listed as non-toxic to cats and dogs.

Good for

Living Room Bedroom

Care level

EasyChallenge

Easy care

Light

ShadeFull sun

Bright, direct sun

Bright light with a few hours of direct sun. It will not flower well in deep shade. Read moreShow less

Bright light with a few hours of direct sun. It will not flower well in deep shade.

Watering

Evenly moistDries out fully

Let the top few centimetres dry out

Water when the top 2 to 3cm of compost dries, then water thoroughly and let it drain. Ease off in winter. Read moreShow less

Water when the top 2 to 3cm of compost dries, then water thoroughly and let it drain. Ease off in winter.

Humidity

Average homeHigh humidity

Happy at normal household humidity

Average room humidity is fine. Read moreShow less

Average room humidity is fine.

Temperature

Keep above 10°C · Happy at normal room temperature

Warm rooms of 15 to 24C. Keep above 10C and away from cold draughts. Read moreShow less

Warm rooms of 15 to 24C. Keep above 10C and away from cold draughts.

Feeding

Feed monthly with a balanced fertiliser from spring to autumn, and let it rest over winter.

Growth habit

Bushy →

Toxicity

Listed as non-toxic to cats and dogs. Plants still are not food, so a determined chewer may get an upset stomach.

Also known as

Pentas lanceolata 'Starcluster Red'

Genus

Pentas →
Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Pentas safe around pets?

Pentas is not known to be toxic to cats or dogs, so it is a sensible choice for a pet home. As with any plant, discourage nibbling, since eating leaves can still cause a mild stomach upset.

Why has my Pentas stopped flowering?

The most common reason is too little light. Move it to your brightest spot with some direct sun, feed monthly through spring and summer, and remove faded flower heads to encourage fresh buds.

Can I grow it outside in summer?

Yes. Once nights are reliably warm you can stand it outdoors in a sunny, sheltered spot, then bring it back inside well before the first frost.

Does my plant come with a pot?
Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.

It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.

If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit.
How big will my plant be when it arrives?
Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.

If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.

That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look.
What makes your plants different from the supermarket or garden centre?
There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.

Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.

When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.

We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box.
What should I do when my plant arrives?
First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.

Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.

It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.

Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.

Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help.
Will my plant survive being shipped?
Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.

During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.

That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 48 hours with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.

The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.
Why Grow Tropicals

Plants delivered the way they deserve

Packaged with Care

Packaged with Care

Every order is hand-packed in eco-friendly, protective packaging - refined through thousands of deliveries to ensure your plant arrives healthy, hydrated, and looking its best.

Backed by our Live Arrival Guarantee.

Perfect for Gifting

Perfect for Gifting

From rare collector’s pieces to easy-care favourites, our plants arrive fully potted and ready to enjoy. Add a personalised note at checkout for a thoughtful finishing touch.

Delivered fresh, beautiful, and gift-ready.

Sustainability at Heart

Sustainability at Heart

All plants are ethically sourced from trusted growers, never wild-collected. Every order ships carbon-neutral in minimal-waste packaging.

Good for your home - and the planet.

Verified reviews

Rated by real customers

You may also like

We recommend
Pentas lanceolata 'Starcluster Red'
£9.99