Hypoestes phyllostachya, the polka dot plant, is a species of flowering plant in the family Acanthaceae, native to South Africa, Madagascar, and south east Asia.

[3] Growing to 30 cm (12 in) tall and broad, it is an evergreen shrub with leaves heavily-spotted pink or white, as if sprayed with paint.

This small shrub with green foliage stained with pink-purple dots forms bushy and compact tufts.

[1] In the UK it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Hypoestes phyllostachya has a multitude of cultivars whose leaves are green, white or red (from pink to carmine), punctuated, stained or streaked with green, white or red among which can be mentioned :