Green thumb
A plant with an unusual shape or leaf gains attention.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, or so the saying goes; but when it comes to plants it has a whole new meaning. The strange growth habits and shapes of certain plants, are seen by some as ugly, yet others regard them as strangely beautiful or quirky. Certainly, a plant with an unusual shape or leaf gains attention.
Sansevieria grandis grows in an odd shape, the large, stiff, succulent, leaf looks like a fat, green, tongue, the boarder around the leaf is edged in crimson and comes to a sharp point. The leaf is lightly patterned in a wavy line of green blobs.
S. grandis is an easy to grow plant and as long as it’s not over watered will be happy living inside a house in a well lit position.
The coral bush, Jatropha multifid has a short trunk with a warty swollen base, it will grow to two metres high.
The green, deeply divided leaves, bunch out from the top of the trunk in an umbrella shape. All parts of the plant are poisonous. The red waxy, coral like, flowers emerge above the green umbrella and are grouped in clusters at the end of the branches.
The flowers form throughout the warm months from early spring to mid autumn. There is a yellow cultivar of the coral bush which is limited in availability.
Euphorbia milii ‘pink sensation’ develops thick, thorny stems that become twisted and contorted as they grow.
The small, waxy, pink flowers cluster at the top of the stems surrounded by succulent green leaves. This unusual plant needs a sunny position and is tolerant of dry conditions. As with all members of the euphorbia family the white sap is poisonous.
Anthurium gracile, ‘red pearls’, is an epiphytic plant which naturally grows in the crevices of trees. Plump, white, aerial roots extend out from the crown of the plant as it grows and form a lattice surrounding and caging the stem of the plant.
This plant flowers readily on long spathes which are self pollinating. The pearly red berries hang on long stalks below the paddled shaped, deep green, leaves.
A. gracile requires shade, and an open course peat mix. Regular watering in humid conditions will promote the thick white root growth and red pearl berries.
Several species of ant plant are endemic to Australia, Myrmecodia beccarii occurs in the mangroves and lowland forests of the Wet Tropics.
The leaf stems of ant plants have developed to form a swollen tuber-like structure which is a modified leaf.
As the plant grows, it develops hollow chambers inside the swollen structure. This structure is colonised by ants, mostly, Philidris cordata. A symbiotic relationship forms between the plant and the ants. The plant provides a safe home for the ants and the detritus from the ants provide nutrients for the plant.
The inconspicuous white flowers of the ant plant are followed by succulent white berries containing the seed.
These berries are sought after by the tiny mistletoe bird which is, no doubt, mainly responsible for the plant’s distribution in the Wet Tropics.
The Elephant Foot Yam, Amorphophallus paeoniifolius grows in an area from Northern
Australia, the Pacific Islands to India.
It has been cultivated for millennia as an important carbohydrate food. As well as its importance as a food this yam is worth growing for its most unusual corpse flower and spectacular tree like foliage, which reach two to three metres in hight.
Yams die back in winter at which time the tubers are harvested. However, if not harvested, they will regrow their treelike stems in spring and create a small forest of food security ready to harvest one eventful day.
The nerve plant, Fittonia argyroneura, is a small shade loving perennial plant. The veins on the leaves of the nerve plant are strongly patterned in contrasting colours. The patterns resemble the veins of a person’s hand.
This plant is suitable to grow indoors, or as a ground cover in shaded areas and in hanging baskets out of the wind, in the shade. Fittonia’s require high humidity and rich composted potting mix.
Unusual or quirky plants are fun to grow and a great conversation piece.