Mature size & growth rate

How big does Temple Bells (Smithiantha cinnabarina) get?

Also called Temple Bells, Cinnabarina Temple Bells.

More about temple bells

About Temple Bells

Smithiantha cinnabarina · also called Temple Bells, Cinnabarina Temple Bells · houseplant

A rhizomatous gesneriad from Mexican cloud forests bearing scarlet, tubular bell flowers on velvety stems from late summer into autumn. It enters a dry winter dormancy, dying back to scaly rhizomes, then resurges in spring. Grow it in bright, filtered light with high humidity and a peat-perlite mix — treat it like a warm, moisture-loving African violet.

Mature size: 30–45 cm tall and 20–30 cm wide in a single growing season

Indoor size vs how big it gets in the wild

Temple Bells stays fairly low but widens over time — it spreads into a bigger clump by offsets, runners or rhizomes rather than shooting upward. Indoors and in a pot, expect 30–45 cm tall and 20–30 cm wide in a single growing season. A pot, your light levels and a little pruning are what set the final size in a home, far more than the plant's theoretical potential.

Size here is about width, not height: the plant builds an ever-wider clump or sends out plantlets and runners while staying relatively short.

Growth rate and years to mature

Temple Bells is a moderate grower. Realistically, expect three to six years to reach mature indoor size, gaining a steady amount each growing season. Its feeding profile backs this up: apply a high-potassium liquid fertiliser at half strength every two weeks from the first signs of new growth in spring through to the end of flowering in autumn. cease completely during winter dormancy.

Want this turned into the right next pot at the right moment? The pot size calculator and the temple bells repotting guide cover when and how much to size up — pot size is one of the biggest levers on how fast temple bells grows.

How to keep temple bells smaller

You are not stuck with the maximum size. For temple bells specifically, these are the levers, in order of impact:

Divide the clump every year or two — splitting temple bells is the main way to control its spread and refresh it.
Remove runners, plantlets or offsets as they appear if you want it to stay a single tight clump.
Keep it slightly pot-bound; a snug pot naturally limits how wide the clump can get.

The keep-it-smaller method, step by step

Lift the whole plant. Slide temple bells out of its pot in spring when the clump has filled it.
Split the clump. Tease or cut the rootball into two or more sections, each with healthy roots and growth.
Repot one division. Put a single division back in the original pot to reset it to a smaller size; pot or give away the rest.
Remove offsets as they form. Through the year, detach new runners or pups to stop it spreading again.

How to grow temple bells bigger or faster

If you want it to fill the space sooner, push the conditions rather than hoping — for temple bells the accelerators are:

Give it a wider pot and let the clump fill it — width is exactly how this plant gets bigger.
Brighter light speeds up clump and offset production noticeably.
Leave plantlets and offsets attached and feed through the growing season for the fastest spread.

Light is almost always the ceiling. The temple bells light requirements page covers exactly how bright a spot it needs to grow at its potential instead of stalling.

When temple bells outgrows the room (or the pot)

"Too big" usually arrives as one of these signs for temple bells:

The clump bulging over the pot rim or splitting the pot — the cue to divide, not to find a bigger room.
A dense centre that goes bare or tired while the edges keep spreading.
Runners or offsets escaping across the shelf or into neighbouring pots.

If it is the pot rather than the room, it is a repotting job, not a goodbye — see the temple bells repotting guide. If you want more of this plant instead of a bigger one, the temple bells propagation guide turns prunings into new plants.

Temple Bells size — frequently asked questions

How big does temple bells get?

Temple Bells reaches 30–45 cm tall and 20–30 cm wide in a single growing season when grown indoors. Size here is about width, not height: the plant builds an ever-wider clump or sends out plantlets and runners while staying relatively short.

Is temple bells slow or fast growing?

Temple Bells is a moderate grower. Expect three to six years to reach mature indoor size, gaining a steady amount each growing season. Temple Bells stays fairly low but widens over time — it spreads into a bigger clump by offsets, runners or rhizomes rather than shooting upward.

How long does temple bells take to reach full size?

Roughly three to six years to reach mature indoor size, gaining a steady amount each growing season. Light, pot size and feeding move that timeline more than anything else.

How do I keep temple bells smaller?

Divide the clump every year or two — splitting temple bells is the main way to control its spread and refresh it. Remove runners, plantlets or offsets as they appear if you want it to stay a single tight clump. Keep it slightly pot-bound; a snug pot naturally limits how wide the clump can get.

How can I make temple bells grow bigger or faster?

Give it a wider pot and let the clump fill it — width is exactly how this plant gets bigger. Brighter light speeds up clump and offset production noticeably. Leave plantlets and offsets attached and feed through the growing season for the fastest spread.