Do you like to be among the first to have new and unusual plants? I do.
And in satisfying my natural curiosity in the latest introductions, I have found some handsome and exciting house plants.
They are all available, but you may have to shop a bit to locate them.
Anthuriums With Spectacular Foliage
Anthuriums, grown primarily for their exotic flowers, include two species with such spectacular foliage that they are of minor importance.
The new one is Anthurium forgetti, which is very similar to the better-known A. crystallinum but is distinguished from it by its oval leaves.
Those of A. crystallinum are heart-shaped and may be lighter when the two plants are grown under the same conditions.
Both plants have dark green velvety leaves, vividly marked with iridescent silver veins. The silver sparkles when the plants are displayed indoors under artificial light.
These anthuriums do well in heavily shaded locations as the less light they receive, the darker the green background and the more prominent the silver lines. I grew one in a recessed bookcase, where there was practically no light at all.
Its need for light was satisfied by placing the plant on a light, but not sunny, window sill for one or two days a month.
Because of their heavy leaf texture, I believe these varieties can get along better indoors than those with thinner leaves, which are grown mainly for flowers and need more humidity.
Dependable Dracaena
The newest dependable dracaenas is D. deremensis hausa, an attractive, crisp-looking plant that keeps pace with the bold lines of modern interiors.
It differs from the old standby, D. sanderiana, in three distinct ways. The leaves of the more compact bausei are closer together on the stein than those of the more spindly-looking sanderiana.
Bausei’s leaves are twice as large as those of a sanderiana of the same height. The foliage colors are reversed—on bausei, the white stripe is down the middle of the leaf, and the green is on the margin. This variety was discovered many years ago but is just now making its debut in the trade.
Rosette Varieties of Snake Plants
The cast-iron qualities of the sansevierias or snake plants have merit, but not everyone likes their tall, stiff appearance.
Several “rosette” varieties of a smaller, more graceful design are now available. These newcomers are just as tough as any of the older kinds.
The newest is a plant sold as Sansevieria compacta, a recent. sport of the tall S. trifasciata laurentii. It looks like an open rose with dark green, chartreuse-edged petals. This is heavy-textured; the plant grows slowly, requires little light, and can stand almost any sort of abuse.
Delicate Syngonium
On my coffee table, I have a delightful plant of delicate size and shape. This is Syngonium wendlandii (S. hoffmanni), a good choice for dish gardens.
It is similar but superior to the popular and closely related nephthytis, tri leaf wonder, because its leaves are broader and the markings bolder.
The outer edges of tile leaves, which appear on slender green stems, are like rich green velvet, the centers silvery gray, and the whole surface glows with a silvery sheen.
Like the anthuriums, this Syngonium is more glamorous at night when it reflects the light. The plant is bushy in habit until it is about 6 inches high but later begins to climb.
Graceful and Colorful Bromeliads
It’s like meeting old friends when Floridians see their- favorite bromeliads in a New York florist shop.
Although the bromeliads have already received considerable publicity, some fine plants are now becoming easily available.
Their natural vase-like appearance is graceful, and most have unusual coloring. Some hold considerable water in “cups” between the leaves.
One of the best new hybrid bromeliads is Aechmea Foster’s Favorite, the first patented bromeliad. The highly polished wine-red leaves make it a marvelous accent plant.
I am partial to the Neoregelia hybrids or painted-fingernail plants, so named because the green leaves are tipped with scarlet.
Unique Cryptanthus
Also in the bromeliad line is the cryptanthus, which looks like a vegetative starfish or a squashed bromeliad.
Cryptanthus bivittatus (C. roses pieta) is an old plant of an intense pinkish salmon shade lined with light chocolate. A brand-new one is called C. lacerdae or silver star.
The emerald green leaves are lined in the center with silver and the whole thing is brushed with stardust. It glistens all over. This is wonderful where you want a low-growing plant.
New cryptanthus plants grow out of the top of the parent plant and sit up in the middle of it in a perky cluster.
They may be removed and potted separately. I understand that improved cryptanthus hybrids will be introduced soon.
Exciting Bromeliad with Long-Lasting Blossoms
Another spectacular bromeliad is Vriesea carinata Marie. While those above are primarily foliage plants, this one has attractive leaves and an exciting blossom that stays fresh and pretty for three or four months. The plant itself is a cool green.
The flower spike rises, in the custom of bromeliads, from the center vase of the plant like a painted feather. It is a flat-surfaced plume of bright red and yellow bracts, which furnish the color. The flowers that emerge from them are unimportant.
New Dieffenbachia Varieties
Dieffenbachia amoena has been known for a long time but is just now becoming available. Its dark green leathery leaves have fewer light markings than the more popular varieties, but this one is reported to be colder. It is a tall, graceful grower.
Rudolph Roehrs is probably the best variety now available, but it will soon be rivaled by Roehrs superba, a spectacular and highly variegated plant.
Leaves are almost entirely white, blotched in the center, and edged with green.
Fascinating Philodendrons
There are many new philodendrons on the market, and to me, P. pittieri, P. friedrichsthalii, and P. scandens are among the most fascinating.
This just scratches the surface of what’s new in house plants. Although newer plants are being produced all the time, I predict a bright future for each of these.
44659 by Mary Noble