Plants from the Amazon Horticulture Plant Collection
If you're as passionate a gardener as I am, you'll love the gorgeous specimens I received from The Spheres Horticulture Plant Collection.
Not long ago, during a trip to the Pacific Northwest, I visited The Spheres in Seattle where Amazon holds thousands of amazing cloud forest plants from around the world. This week, I received a gift of more than two dozen different plants from the collection - from tiny Staghorn ferns to giant leaf Anthuriums and striking begonias. For me, it was like Christmas in October.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- I was so happy to see all these plants looking so beautiful and healthy after traveling all the way from The Spheres. All these specimens are from their Horticulture Plant Collection.
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- There were plants of all sizes, and every single one so interesting and pretty.
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- Everything was packed perfectly in paper and tape – most of them in this huge box.
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- Here is the leaf of a large Anthurium. Anthurium is a genus of about 1,000 species of flowering plants, the largest genus of the arum family, Araceae. General common names include anthurium, tailflower, flamingo flower, pigtail plant, and laceleaf. The leaves look similar to a knight’s shield, and hang down on the end of long stems.
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- Rare anthuriums are grown for their foliage. The leaves are oval-heart shaped and vary in size and shape.
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- Hatiora salicornioides, the bottle cactus, dancing-bones, drunkard’s-dream, or spice cactus, is a species of flowering plant in the cactus family. It often grows as an epiphyte, natively in eastern Brazil and ornamentally elsewhere. The name Dancing Bones comes from its slender stems’ distinctive, skeleton-like structure. Dancing Bones Cactus grows rather slowly, with the stems reaching about six to 12 inches.
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- This is Platycerium ridleyi or Ridley’s Staghorn Fern. I love Staghorn ferns and have several giant ones in my collection. This one is still small, but will be mounted on a block as it develops.
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- Pyrrosia longifolia is a species of fern growing in Southeast Asia, the Pacific region, and Australia. It has stiff strap-shaped fronds, and rigid rhizomes. It is a slow grower and prefers semi-shade and moist, humid conditions.
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- I am also very fond of begonias. Begonia is a genus in the family Begoniaceae. It contains at least 1500 different plant species and numerous hybrids. They are native to Mexico, Central and South America, Asia and South Africa – regions with tropical and subtropical climates.
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- Rhizomatous begonias are grown for their interesting and spectacular leaves. They come in an array of sizes, colors and textures, and can be small or large, smooth or veiny, decorated in bold accents of red, copper and silver or subtle shades of green.
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- And here is the back of the same leaf with beautifully pronounced red veining.
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- Begonia pustulata is a rhizomatous species from Mexico with a distinctively textured leaf. The silvery variegation is thought to prevent insects from laying their eggs on the foliage, therefore preventing the leaves from getting eaten.
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- Begonia phuthoensis is a rhizomatous species from Vietnam with unique round leaves in light green.
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- Philodendron melanochrysum is a spectacular vining philodendron that when mature produces two-foot long leaves of iridescent black-green with pale green veins.
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- These are the leaves of Vriesea gigantea. The Vriesea gigantea is also known as the giant Vriesea and is a stunning bromeliad species prized for its impressive size and vibrant spineless foliage when mature.
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- Lepismium houlletianum, also known as Houllet’s Lepismium, is a cactus native to the tropical rainforests of Brazil. It has long, slender notched green stems that can grow up to six feet in length.
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- I am so excited to have all these plants in my greenhouse. Thanks Amazon! I’ll share how I select the proper pots for these specimens and how to plant them in an upcoming blog!
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