Vesque Mackaya bella, called the forest bell bush, is a species of flowering plant in the acanthus family Acanthaceae, native to South Africa (Cape Provinces, KwaZulu-Natal, and Northern Provinces) and Eswatini.
[3] Growing to 1.5 m (4.9 ft) tall and broad, it is an erect, evergreen shrub with opposite arranged 4 to 5 inch long glossy, slim, elliptically-shaped dark green leaves that feature wavy margins and salient midrib and veins on the lower surface.
[4] 2 inch long, trumpet-shaped, pale lilac to lavender flowers veined in purple appear profusely in spring and early summer.
[4] The plant is not hardy below −6 °C (21 °F), therefore in colder temperate zones requires protection during the winter months.
[5] It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.