Schefflera

Since I've somehow stumbled on the topic of "mall plants" (yikes), here's some Schefflera, growing in Puerto Rico.  My students already know how I feel about variegated plants, in general (double yikes), but the white and green variegation isn't all THAT bad.  It does brighten up an otherwise dark corner. 

The yellow and green however...Not so much.

Schefflera is an easy genus to make a guess on its etymology -- it's named for a German botanist, Jacob Christian Scheffler. 

Pandanus utilis

Well, if this isn't the saddest specimen, I don't know what is.  This is an offshoot of a larger Pandanus plant from my mom's house.  I'm hoping it perks up. 

I've long been familiar with Pandanus as a houseplant.  We always had one, even though it's always made our cats throw it up.  Somehow they find the (mildly toxic) leaves irresistible.

It wasn't until I spent so much time working in Hawaii that I appreciated what a remarkable plant Pandanus can become.

This specimen is from Waimea Botanical Garden on the North Shore of Oahu (by the way, this is still one of my favorite plant spots for Hawaii - definitely spend some time in Hale Ewa and Waimea Bay if you're ever in the area). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note that the tree develops aerial roots that descend from about 18" above the ground layer.  The leaves, when mature, can be quite sharp, to the point of easily scratching you.

Schlumbergera

While the genus name Schlumbergera is probably unfamiliar, you may have recognized this plan as Christmas cactus.  I'm loath to assign a species name as Schlumbergera is often hybridized among its species and with similar genera such as Epiphyllum or Rhipsalis.  While this plant did indeed bloom during Christmas, there are also Thanksgiving and Easter cacti, too.  

The flat, lobed leaves with tiny hairs that appear around the flower buds.  Though these plants are native to the forests of Brazil, they are epiphytes and occupy the higher reaches of the canopy.  Here water quickly sheets away and the plant's succulent nature is a method of preserving water.  The hairs around the flower bud are likely adaptations for the plant to trap moisture around the developing flower. 

These are relatively easy to grow - this is from a cutting of my grandmother's cactus.  Obviously, the flower is triggered not in response to changes in temperature, but to changes in light.  As the days get shorter the plant begins to flower.  In the jungle, these flowers open and close each day.

Pothos

Here's another painfully common houseplant, Epipremnum aureum or pothos.  It is not a Philodendron (Philodendrons are never as common as you think as many indoor plants are accidentally called this). 

 

 This plant is native to southeast asia and is a rapidly growing vine.  It will send out adventitious roots, looking for opportunities to anchor into nearby forest trees.  It doesn't quite have that available in an apartment, so you'll have to support it with wire or nails. 

Honestly, I'm not quite sure what to do with it. I guess we'll route it around the kitchen next.  It always reminds me of the scene in Desk Set where Spencer Tracy first meets Katherine Hepburn. 

Chlorophytum comosum

Most people surely know Chlorophytum comosum by its common name, spider plant.  It's another ubiquitous houseplant that is hard to kill.  This one is a green specimen, though the variegated variety is far more popular (students who know me, know I'll chose against variegation almost every time).  

Spider plant is easy to propagate because the plant sends out long stolons on which leaves sprout.  Where nodes would normally occur, adventitious roots develop.  These "babies" can be placed in soil and root quite easily. 

Chlorophytum literally means "green plant" which makes this the most boring etymology story, ever.

Sanseviera trifasciata

I mentioned Sanseviera trifasciata a few weeks ago, when blogging about somali hemp.  It's indeed an insanely popular houseplant.   

 

It's not a particular favorite of mine.  Frankly, it's kinda ugly.  But this thing survived 5 different New York City apartments.  In my first apartment - a north-facing basement unit - this was the only thing that didn't up and die instantly.  It declined steadily to the point that it only had one sad leaf remaining, but when I moved into a 5th floor walk-up (also north-facing), it rebounded.

 

After a few years there, I moved to the Lower East Side.  Second floor unit.  South facing, but the large building across the street blocked any light.  The plant began to wither once again.  This was the site of the infamous apartment fire so soon enough I moved the plant again.  This time to a fourth floor walk-up with east and west light and no big buildings blocking it.

Last year the plant was tested once again.  I moved all my plants to DC in January when my lease expired in NY.  My brother and I packed the truck as fast as we could, hoping to hit the road before the snow started.  No luck.  We spent 9 hours driving from NYC to DC.  I wrapped the plants in plastic bags before we left (and even crammed a few in the cab of the truck) but many perished in the trip.  This one, ever the trooper, was nonplussed.  Now in my new apartment (2nd floor, south light) it's doing quite well, as you can see by the small leaf sprouting above.  I should probably divide it, but the poor thing has been through enough.

Monstera deliciousa

I was inspired by last week's posts, many of which featured indoor plants, to share some of the species I have at home.  First up is Monstera deliciosa or swiss cheese plants.  Though most people know this plant by its genus.

Monstera is actually a vine which explains whey I have several stakes propping this plant up.  In the wild it can scramble up hillsides and along the trunks of large trees.

 

Though it's native to Central America, I saw it everyhwere in Hawaii - in planned landscapes or growing along the sides of highways, vining up trees.  The plant is even somewhat iconic in Hawaii.  Below it's incorporated in a mural in the library of the Four Seasons Lodge at Koele.

And many would recognize its leaf used in patterns for Hawaiian quilts, like this one below:

However, it's not to be confused with split leaf Philodendron, or Philodendron pertusum, which looks quite similar.  In this shot, it's P. pertusum growing next to the Alpinia.

Somali Hemp

First of all, how evocative is that common name (Somali hemp)?  Immediately I think of drug-running pirates and gunfights and war.   None of those are good things, of course, but I didn't say it was a "good" common name either, just an evocative one...

Anyhoo, the botanical name for Somali hemp may be more familar: Sansevieria grandis.  Chances are if you've ever been to a mall (or my apartment, for that matter), you've seen its relative, Sanseviera trifasciata, which also has some scary-sounding common names: snake plant, or mother-in-law's tongue. 

S. trifasciata is a common houseplant, but Somali hemp, less so.  It is native to Kenya and south Africa and is in the Agavaceae family.  Its succulent leaves means it can survive a long time in hot, dry climates.  The genus is named for Italian Prince Raimond de Sansgrio de Sanseviero, an 18th century patron of botanical expeditions.

Euphorbia pulcherrima

Chance are, you read that botanical name and didn't realize it was the name for what may be one of the most recognizable plants in the country, poinsettia.  The specimens below are growing next to a fairly recognizable man, George Washington.  These shots were taken at the National Cathedral. 

 

Poinsettias are named for Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first US minister to Mexico.  The plant is native to Mexico, though can be found in some other parts of Central America.  Its association to Christmas began in the 16th Century in Mexico, when folklore began to tell of a young woman who was too poor to offer gifts to the church. She gathered weeds, presented them to the altar, and the next day they became brilliantly red flowers.  

Of course, here comes the part where I ruin some of the fantasy of the story.  The red "petals" one associates with a poinsettia flower are merely bracts.  The small yellow and red bundles above are the actual flowers.  Bracts are modified leaves and in the case with this species, they turn red only after they consistently receive twelve hours of darkness each night.  This is called photoperiodism.  The red (or white, pink or marbled hues) are brightest however if the daylight is as bright as possible.  Of course, nearer to the equator, this light requirement is easily achievable all year long.

In Mexico, the plant is commonly referred to as "noche buena" which is also a term for Christmas Eve.  Given this, it seemed like an appropriate plant for today's post.  Merry Christmas!