Hedychium longicornutum
Archive entry 17.02.08
20th January 2006
An epiphytic species from peninsular Malaysia. Like most epiphytes, it will tolerate quite extreme stress
from time to time, but I doubt it would withstand a winter outside, certainly it would not prosper.
As you can see, my rhizome is waiting to prosper!
In the end, it rotted without producing a shoot. I think I failed to keep it warm enough. I have seen it suggested as a plant for temperate climates but I have only ever
seen photos of plants in flower from tropical and sub-tropical regions.
26th March 2007
This plant came from a nursery in the UK and has survived well in a cold greenhouse, which makes me think it is probably wrongly named. When it flowers I will either understand why,
or have to eat my words.
7th November 2008
I am fairly certain the plant above is wrongly named - current best guess is that it is another form of H.flavescens. I also have a stock from the USA that
turned out to be H.ellipticum.
This plant however, was grown from seed from Queensland, Australia. I am fairly certain that it is the real thing!
27th November 2011
And another potful of seedlings to demonstrate that I didn't keep the plant above warm enough through the winter! Eventually I will manage to flower it
(at which point I will probably lose interest in the struggle to keep it alive).
15th September 2012