Feed me, Seymour

The indoor plant community has gone viral (insert Coronavirus joke here). After the rising need to bring the green outdoors inside during the pandemic, plant adoptions have propelled to an all-time high. And with this, certain plants have become as rare as toilet paper within the first three weeks of the Covid-19 pandemic. There are bidding wars for plants that cost more than a Hermes handbag. Yip, you read that right. A Monstera adansonii varigata sold for $38,000 on eBay recently - that’s around R 543,639.40. You can wipe up the tea from your desk and magazine now.

Ca la t hea ornata (Pinstr ipe )

Have you regained your sight and adjusted your eyes after that factoid? Good, because we’re now going to shift the spotlight to some unusual, unique plants to add to your collection. We are looking at plants that are available locally, or should be available in the near future based on global trends.

There is an important distinction to make when referring to rare or unusual plants. It does not necessarily refer to the plant's status in the wild - they might be plentiful in some regions of the world - but they aren't always easy to propagate, the demand can’t keep up with the supply, or they are only grown by a few select growers and distribution is the problem.

For example, some plants that grow wild in the forests of South America are considered rare indoor plants in South Africa, because we have no local growers and most countries have very strict laws on importing live plant material, as pathogens and pests can sneak into the country with them.

CALATHEAS (PRAYER PLANTS)

These rhizomes have become very popular for their distinct colour variations. From intricate leaf patterns with various colour combinations, to red underleaves and various heights, they offer something for everyone. The most astonishing feature of this plant is the fact that the leaves move by following light, giving them the illusion of folding together, like two hands in the prayer position. This happens without fail, every day. During the day, the leaves droop downwards and as the sun sets they start moving in an upwards direction. This is an adaptation and the red underleaf plays an important role in this process. Calatheas naturally grow under tree canopies in humid environments, and light is scarce under the canopy. During the day the leaves droop, exposing the underside of the leaf and the red pigment allows the plant to absorb reflected light from the forest floor, and at night the photosensitive leaves fold up to catch the last bit of sunrays and stay in this position until sunrise when they droop downwards again.

COMMON FRUSTRATIONS: Leaf tips turn brown and die rapidly.

How to avoid this: Always bottom-water Calatheas; allow them to dry out between watering and mist with filtered water, preferably pH balanced, and place them near a humidifier. Calatheas show signs of dry air when their leaf tips turn brown. Calatheas also do better in shallow pots.

ALOCASIAS

These magnificent plants have a variety of common names, from Elephant's Ear, Amazonica or African Shield. These names are indicative of the leaves' size and their amazing texture and colours. They love humid environments, wet soils and dislike direct sunlight. They are marginal wetland plants in nature and can grow to astronomical sizes, with leaves reaching the size of, you guessed it, elephant ears. Mark Mac Hattie

Landscape Designer

Contours Design Studio

@contours_designstudio

They are often found in clusters because they are tubers. The fleshy tuber lives underground and stores water and nutrients from the rainy season in the marches, so they can survive the dry and hotter months.

Most Alocasias lose their foliage when the seasons change, but don't worry, they don't die, they’ve just gone into power saving mode, thanks to their tubers. Once the wet season returns, they will push out even larger leaves than those from the previous season. Thankfully, most of the indoor plant varieties have been cultivated to not die back, with help from the fact that the indoor growing environment is more stable than their natural habitat.

COMMON FRUSTRATIONS: Due to their soft leaves, they can get damaged very easily and are susceptible to pests, most commonly, spider mites and, due to the wet medium they prefer, fungus gnats. How to avoid this: Pest control and monitoring is your best friend. When you receive any new plants, keep them in isolation, give them a good hose down and spray them with Neem oil. I have been fighting spider mites on my largest Alocasia for about 2 months, due to not isolating another plant long enough. Lesson learnt, tenfold.

COMMON FRUSTRATIONS: Bog plants tend to die very quickly if they dry out and they do not tolerate top watering at all. Fertiliser kills them and they can’t tolerate shade. How to avoid this: Keep the base of your bog plant in a saucer of water, they suck water up from the bottom like they would in a bog. The more spongy the soil, the better. Never fertilise them; they catch enough critters, especially the ones you don’t see. If you are slightly psychopathic, you can feed them insects you caught yourself, the fresher the better. They will survive in bright but direct light is better and the closer they are to the window, the more likely they will catch those flies that never seem to be able to escape an open window.

COMMON FRUSTRATIONS: They die if you overwater them, and also if you forget. The audacity. How to avoid this: Avoid giving them a reason to be dramatic by planting them in a well-draining medium that you bottom-water and allow to drip-dry. Let the soil dry out between waterings.

BOG PLANTS

These are Venus flytraps, Pitcher plants and most carnivorous plants. There is something fascinating about a plant that eats animals and insects. Evolution really gave these plants the upper hand. Venus flytraps attact flies with their scent and once they step down on pressure-sensitive spikelets on the leaf, it’s snack time. Pitcher plants have large cylinder forms and a slippery inner surface that holds a water reservoir in the base which attracts insects and rodents. The creature lands at the bottom of the reservoir and the plant's special enzymes turn the visitor into soup. Yum, good soup. Some Pitcher plants, like Attenborough's pitcher, can grow up to 1.5m tall and have a diameter of 30cm, trapping rodents and other small animals easily. So applications are still open to going to Mars, right? Almost all carnivorous plants originated in tropical bogs. The lack of nutrients in the mushy soil meant that the plants had to adapt to get their nutrients elsewhere, so they grew some teeth and wells. Very beetlejuice’esque if you ask me. As a side note, they tend to die down in winter in non-tropical regions but come back to life in the summer seasons.

THERE IS SOMETHING FASCINATING ABOUT A PLANT " THAT EATS ANIMALS AND INSECTS."

ANTHURIUMS

One of the most infamous of the Aroid family, Anthuriums are almost every plant parent's dream and nightmare, all at the same time. They have the most amazing leaf patterns, come in all different shapes (I love the long-leafed variants) and sizes. But they also come with a hefty price tag. Some sell for $1,000 easily. They are sought after internationally and I have yet to find my dream Anthurium locally. These tropical epiphytes grow upwards on trees and use their roots for anchoring while reaching for the light. If you have any and you are wondering why the leaves aren’t getting bigger, it is because they need to climb; as soon as they grow up a moss pole, their leaf sizes increase substantially. Cool party trick.