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Most
plants are labeled with genus, species, family and country of origin.
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Many
common houseplants are in this room.
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Mesophytic
conditions (i.e. moderate temperature and humidity)
Plants
to point out:
Purple
passion vine - Gynura aurantiaca
is native to Indonesia. This sub-shrub has leaves and stems
covered with purple hairs and produces clusters of orange-yellow flower
heads in winter. ‘Purple Passion’ has more elongated stems and
smaller, more jaggedly-toothed leaves that have reddish purple hairs on
the underside. It is often incorrectly named Gynura sarmentosa.
Moses-in-the-cradle
- Rhoeo spathacea has a short stem bearing a rosette of
lance-shaped leaves up to 12 in long. The leaves are glossy green with
purple undersides. Tiny white flowers in leaf-like bracts are produced
throughout the year. ‘Vittata’ has yellow-striped, glossy green
leaves.
Venus Flytrap - Dionaea muscipula is native only to an area within 90 miles of
Wilmington, North Carolina, Venus Fly Traps are among the
curiosities of the world because they catch live insects to feed upon.
Each leaf has 2 flattened lobes with spines along the margins. Small
glands secrete insect-attracting nectar. When the insect lands and
stimulates 3 hairs on each lobe, the trap closes. The nectar digests the
insect by liquefying it. When only the hard bits are left, the leaf
opens and the remains are blown away.
Sensitive
plant - Mimosa pudica is native of Brazil, this evergreen sub-shrub is generally
treated as an annual. It is grown for its fern-like leaves that close up
and droop when touched, usually re-opening within minutes. It has
prickly stems and small, fluffy, ball-shaped pink flowers in summer. It grows to a height and spread of around 3 ft. |
