not an aroid question

From: Lester Kallus <lkallus at earthlink.net> on 1997.01.16 at 16:57:53(146) I'm going to be obnoxious and ask a non-aroid question here. I apologize but am going to be asking everywhere till I track down the info. While I was in Miami last week, I went to a nursery. There, I found a plant that I hadn't seen before. I bought 3 rooted cuttings of it. The owner called it a Mandanella. No, it's not a Mandevilla. I have several of those, know they used to be called Dipladenia and recognize them a mile away. I dragged out my copy of the Exotica to try to describe the plant. This is tougher than I thought. It has smooth edged (entire) elliptic shaped leaves that are arranged in an opposite pattern. The leaves are thick, have pinnate venation (although you can't see the sub-branches as shown in the Exotica). The leaf attachment is halfway between stalked and sessile though closer to sessile. The flowers are in my memory only and I haven't seen it for 5 days. What I recall, though, reminded me of some bromeliad flowers I've seen. I looked through the exotica, can't find the exact one it reminded me of, but the closest I can come is Aechmea gracilis. The mass of flowers was perhaps 4-5 inches long and 1 inch wide. They looked like pink match heads with blue tips. (...or was it blue matchheads with pink tips? No, I think the former.) +More So with this kind of a vague description, can anyone help? (I feel like some of the people I know who ask about a plant they have at home. "It's big and has pretty red flowers.") I apologize for diverting attention from aroids. Les

From: tychen at ippfwhr.org on 1997.01.17 at 19:23:57(153) it's probably a Medinilla, family Melastomaceae. don't ask me how to grow it 'cause i killed one in my apartment in new york. it is probably no problem growing it outdoors in miami. it's a gorgeous shrub from southeast asia. +More ______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________ Subject: not an aroid question Author: PC :lkallus@earthlink.net at INTERNET Date: 1/16/97 12:08 PM I'm going to be obnoxious and ask a non-aroid question here. I apologize but am going to be asking everywhere till I track down the info. While I was in Miami last week, I went to a nursery. There, I found a plant that I hadn't seen before. I bought 3 rooted cuttings of it. The owner called it a Mandanella. No, it's not a Mandevilla. I have several of those, know they used to be called Dipladenia and recognize them a mile away. I dragged out my copy of the Exotica to try to describe the plant. This is tougher than I thought. It has smooth edged (entire) elliptic shaped leaves that are arranged in an opposite pattern. The leaves are thick, have pinnate venation (although you can't see the sub-branches as shown in the Exotica). The leaf attachment is halfway between stalked and sessile though closer to sessile. The flowers are in my memory only and I haven't seen it for 5 days. What I recall, though, reminded me of some bromeliad flowers I've seen. I looked through the exotica, can't find the exact one it reminded me of, but the closest I can come is Aechmea gracilis. The mass of flowers was perhaps 4-5 inches long and 1 inch wide. They looked like pink match heads with blue tips. (...or was it blue matchheads with pink tips? No, I think the former.) So with this kind of a vague description, can anyone help? (I feel like some of the people I know who ask about a plant they have at home. "It's big and has pretty red flowers.") I apologize for diverting attention from aroids. Les

From: Hermine Stover <hermine at endangeredspecies.com> on 1997.01.17 at 19:32:34(155) Some dog here ate the hortus so I cannot be sure of the spelling, but if your plant has linearly sort of quilted leaves it is a Medinilla and had pendulous panicles of pinkish flowers. The bark is very...bark-like. I find mine to be intolerant of cool temps, a real tropical item. But the leaves are certainly linear/quilted. Or, I am wrong. Hermine +More At 10:58 AM 1/16/97 -0600, you wrote: >I'm going to be obnoxious and ask a non-aroid question here. I apologize >but am going to be asking everywhere till I track down the info. > >While I was in Miami last week, I went to a nursery. There, I found a >plant that I hadn't seen before. I bought 3 rooted cuttings of it. The >owner called it a Mandanella. > >No, it's not a Mandevilla. I have several of those, know they used to be >called Dipladenia and recognize them a mile away. > >I dragged out my copy of the Exotica to try to describe the plant. This is >tougher than I thought. > >It has smooth edged (entire) elliptic shaped leaves that are arranged in an >opposite pattern. The leaves are thick, have pinnate venation (although >you can't see the sub-branches as shown in the Exotica). The leaf >attachment is halfway between stalked and sessile though closer to sessile. > >The flowers are in my memory only and I haven't seen it for 5 days. What I >recall, though, reminded me of some bromeliad flowers I've seen. I looked >through the exotica, can't find the exact one it reminded me of, but the >closest I can come is Aechmea gracilis. The mass of flowers was perhaps >4-5 inches long and 1 inch wide. They looked like pink match heads with >blue tips. (...or was it blue matchheads with pink tips? No, I think the >former.) > >So with this kind of a vague description, can anyone help? (I feel like >some of the people I know who ask about a plant they have at home. "It's >big and has pretty red flowers.") > >I apologize for diverting attention from aroids. > Les > > > >

From: BASSPROF at aol.com on 1997.01.17 at 19:36:37(156) Lester, Aroiders grow other things too, at least I do. Perhaps your plant is Medinilla sp. I believe it is in Exotica or Tropica...somewhere. It's often grown in Florida--is not cold hardy. However, my M. myrantha survived 20 degrees last year, outside, in a pot. M. magnifica is the most lovely having large, pink bracts around the flowers and fruits. Good Luck. Lynn Hannon

From: George Tinsley <gtinsley at netside.net> on 1997.01.17 at 19:53:44(159) Les, The plant you bought sounds like a Medinella species. There are two that I know of . . . magnifica and another one whose name I have long forgotten. I'm sure other South Florida aroiders can help you with something more definite. George Tinsley +More Lester Kallus wrote: > > While I was in Miami last week, I went to a nursery. There, I found a > plant that I hadn't seen before. I bought 3 rooted cuttings of it. The > owner called it a Mandanella. > [other stuff snipped] > It has smooth edged (entire) elliptic shaped leaves that are arranged in an > opposite pattern. The leaves are thick, have pinnate venation (although > you can't see the sub-branches as shown in the Exotica). The leaf > attachment is halfway between stalked and sessile though closer to sessile. > > The flowers are in my memory only and I haven't seen it for 5 days. What I > recall, though, reminded me of some bromeliad flowers I've seen. I looked > through the exotica, can't find the exact one it reminded me of, but the > closest I can come is Aechmea gracilis. The mass of flowers was perhaps > 4-5 inches long and 1 inch wide. They looked like pink match heads with > blue tips. (...or was it blue matchheads with pink tips? No, I think the > former.) > [more stuff snipped] > I apologize for diverting attention from aroids. > Les

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