Hermetospheres

Experiences with plant life in closed glass containers

Category: Other plants

  • The Hoya from river Endau

    The Hoya from river Endau

    Follow the two-year development of Hoya endauensis in the closed terrarium, from cutting to the first bloom, and learn what we can know about this particular wax plant.

    Read more: The Hoya from river Endau
  • Neither strawberry nor begonia nor geranium

    Neither strawberry nor begonia nor geranium

    Saxifraga stolonifera, commonly known as the strawberry begonia or strawberry geranium, demonstrates that there are plants of non-tropical origin that can thrive in the closed terrarium. Not only can the plant grow under a wide variety of conditions, but it also exhibits great diversity in its appearance. Recent research findings shed light on the underlying…

    Read more: Neither strawberry nor begonia nor geranium
  • A truly tiny dwarf

    A truly tiny dwarf

    Within the pepper family (Piperaceae), species of the genus Peperomia are also known as ‘dwarf pepper’. They are found in tropical and sub-tropical regions around the world. Some of them have long been popular with horticulturists in Europe, including this particularly small as well as pretty species. Here is how Peperomia prostrata is doing in…

    Read more: A truly tiny dwarf
  • From Andapa to Munich to Edinburgh into cultivation

    From Andapa to Munich to Edinburgh into cultivation

    Discover how Plectranthus rosulatus, a Madagascar endemic belonging to the Deadnettle Family, found its way into science and cultivation, and how the plant is doing in the hermetosphere.

    Read more: From Andapa to Munich to Edinburgh into cultivation
  • An under-researched plant family

    An under-researched plant family

    Usually, when I place a new plant in a new hermetosphere, I want to know its identification down to species level. I have several reasons for this. In most cases, identifying the species is a prerequisite for obtaining information about its natural habitat. This information is helpful to assess whether or not a plant is…

    Read more: An under-researched plant family
  • The Hoya from Kanyakumari

    The Hoya from Kanyakumari

    Wax plants (genus Hoya) are popular houseplants. At least this species from southern India also thrives in the hermetosphere. This is the impression I got from my journey with H. kanyakumariana during the first year.

    Read more: The Hoya from Kanyakumari
  • A jungle in the making

    A jungle in the making

    One of the most fascinating aspects of hermetospheres is to see how plant communities develop over years in a confined space – with only minimal intervention. The picture below shows the current state of one of my first containers. How it became what it is today is this story. One of my first containers ever…

    Read more: A jungle in the making
  • Acclimation (4): Labisia sp.

    Acclimation (4): Labisia sp.

    Previous entries in this blog (#1, #2, #3) have already discussed the observation that some plants change their habitus after being planted in a closed container, presumably from “ordinary” greenhouse conditions. This is another example. The plant is marketed under the name Labisia sp. ‘Boyan’, and its natural habitat is stated as Borneo. However, in…

    Read more: Acclimation (4): Labisia sp.
  • The mystery of red leaf undersides

    The mystery of red leaf undersides

    “The lower (abaxial) leaf surfaces of many plant species are brightly colored by red to purple pigments, most commonly anthocyanins. This trait has evolved multiple times independently in the plant kingdom, most prolifically in angiosperms but also in some seedless, vascular plants […], making it a textbook example of convergent evolution.” (Hughes and Lev-Yadun 2023,…

    Read more: The mystery of red leaf undersides
  • Root or shoot?

    Root or shoot?

    A primeval plant that grows easily in hermetospheres provides insights into the early history of plant development. Initially I had Selaginella uncinata, a spikemoss, growing in a 1 litre jar for a few weeks as a trial. That is how I found that the plant thrives under hermetosphere conditions and spreads quickly (see picture below).…

    Read more: Root or shoot?