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Darwin and the mystery of the coiling direction
Read more: Darwin and the mystery of the coiling directionWhen I acquired this plant as one of my first purchases to grow in a hermetosphere, it was labelled Marcgravia umbellata, but it might as well be Macgravia oligandra. Both plants originate from the caribbean islands and belong to the shingle-leaf climbers – root-climbing plants whose leaves are adpressed and often overlap (Zona 2020). As…
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Plant on the move
Read more: Plant on the moveThe “little tree plant” (Biophytum sensitivum) is very popular among terrarium hobbyists. Its natural habitat are wet lands of tropical India and South-East Asia, where it grows in the shades of trees and shrubs, in grass lands at low and medium altitudes (Sakthivel and Guruvayoorappan 2012). It looks like a miniature palm tree, is perennial,…
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Pyrrosia nummulariifolia
Read more: Pyrrosia nummulariifoliaYou might wonder why this post is categorized as both success and failure. Let me begin with the success. When I started my jar designated to Myanmar in mid-August 2021, I placed a short rhizome cutting of P. nummulariifolia along the border of the substrate. Now, almost a year later, it is well established and…
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Acclimation (1): Ficus punctata
Read more: Acclimation (1): Ficus punctataClosed glass containers inevitably create extreme conditions for plant growth. This is especially the case for relative humidity, which can be assumed to be close to 100% at all times. Most tropical plants can deal with this, and hardly ever I could observe obvious changes from “normal” greenhouse conditions, where my plants usually come from,…
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Neoregelia
Read more: NeoregeliaBromeliads, the Bromeliaceae family, are among the most fascinating plants of the neotropical fauna. Most of them grow too large for a 5l hermetosphere. A few however do not only fit in size but also seem to find favorable conditions for living in hermetospheres. Initially, the Bromeliaceae family was divided into three subfamilies based on…
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Actiniopteris radiata
Read more: Actiniopteris radiataOne of my two jars dedictated to plants native to Myanmar is currently able to tell more than one story. The fern called Peacock’s tail, A. radiata, was meant to be the main protagonist when I started the jar in mid August 2021. Initially, the plant seemed to be comfortable and produced new fronds. After…
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Bladderworts
Read more: BladderwortsBladderworts, genus Utricularia, seemed attractive to me for use in hermetospheres for several reasons. First, they usually live in and are adapted for wet or moist habitats. Second, a lot of species are native to tropical regions with little seasonal differences. Then, they are highly fascinating organisms, able to source nutrients from tiny animals they…
