# Name that Home Depot Plant!



## Gibbs.JP (Feb 16, 2016)

Hello Board Members -

I just made a trip to the good 'ol local Home Depot and came back with some nice plants I was hoping you fine folk could help identify. Anyone care to name the following?

I thought this might be some kind of vriesea, but I haven't found any that look the same. I think it's also got a couple tiny pups:



I know this one is commonly found in vivariums, but no idea what it's called:


This one was labeled as "premier fern"


Also, I found a real purty vriesea splendens that was too nice to pass off. It's too big for my vivarium, but that just means I need to get a bigger tank!


Lastly, I thought this was kinda neat. Got it for my wife so she could have her own mini-viv  Has some nice little pink and white fittonias and that same taller plant I posted above. 



Anyways, thanks in advance for your help with identifying!


----------



## Dane (Aug 19, 2004)

Josh,
the first one appears to be Rhoeo spathacea, not a bromeliad unfortunately. The palm I am not as familiar with, but the fern looks to be a Pteris (ensiformis?).


----------



## Jjl (Feb 2, 2014)

Nice set of plants you've got, there! Just wanted to chime in and say that your "premier fern" looks more like _Pteris cretica_, to me. Quick warning - this genus is pretty weedy, if it likes the environment it's in. 

See all the baby ferns on what used to be my ghost wood? The darn prothallii can grow on anything from the side glass to the surface of a bone-dry magnolia leaf...


In my experience, they are fairly scale-prone too--so use with care!

Some more quick warnings: The _Vriesea splendens_ poses a safety issue, once it gets old enough. See ChrisK's post in this thread: http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/pl...varium-bromeliads-you-shouldnt-use-darts.html

That palm will also either outgrow or die in that mini-vivarium. The fittonia should be okay for a little bit, though! In a container that size, I'd rather use some nice miniature ferns and vining _Peperomia_ specimens.


----------



## pako (Apr 30, 2015)

I think the 2nd plant is an Areca palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens)


----------



## Gibbs.JP (Feb 16, 2016)

Dane said:


> Josh,
> the first one appears to be Rhoeo spathacea, not a bromeliad unfortunately. The palm I am not as familiar with, but the fern looks to be a Pteris (ensiformis?).


Thanks Dane! I was initially thinking it was some sort of bromeliad, but had my doubts. I think you nailed it on the Rhoeo spathacea... I looked it up and it looks identical!



Jjl said:


> Nice set of plants you've got, there! Just wanted to chime in and say that your "premier fern" looks more like _Pteris cretica_, to me. Quick warning - this genus is pretty weedy, if it likes the environment it's in.
> 
> See all the baby ferns on what used to be my ghost wood? The darn prothallii can grow on anything from the side glass to the surface of a bone-dry magnolia leaf...
> 
> ...


Thanks Jeremiah ... I'll look into that fern more and see. I don't have a planned home for any of these yet, so with your help in identifying them, I can now plan ahead if I want to use or not. Thanks! 

I kinda figured all the plants would outgrow that little setup, especially the tall one. I plan to cut the fittonia back at some point and grow some clippings for tanks... I love how they look in them. This was just an impulse buy (who am I kidding, they all were...) that I thought my wife might like. And she did, so win win!



pako said:


> I think the 2nd plant is an Areca palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens)


Thanks Pako. Man, I had no idea it could grow that large... I've seen what looks like the exact same plant in other vivarium pictures, and they were about the same size. Maybe just have to keep cutting it back?


----------



## Lake (Jan 31, 2015)

I've got a few of those ferns, they seem to like vivarium conditions


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## holmarie (Nov 30, 2015)

Very nice buys! I love home depot/lowes plants sometimes! Great value. Just often don't know what you're getting


----------



## CAPTAIN RON (Mar 29, 2010)

Be careful with plants from the big box stores.They use pesticides at the nurseries that they are grown at! Lots of great sellers of viv plants here from some of the sponsers and in the plant classified ,that would be much safer to use,and a much better selection!


----------



## Gibbs.JP (Feb 16, 2016)

CAPTAIN RON said:


> Be careful with plants from the big box stores.They use pesticides at the nurseries that they are grown at! Lots of great sellers of viv plants here from some of the sponsers and in the plant classified ,that would be much safer to use,and a much better selection!


Thanks Captain Ron, you are of course right about the extra caution using plants from these places. I haven't put those in anything yet, and am just letting them grow in a little makeshift greenhouse with some other clippings I've acquired. If I end up using any of these, I'll always make sure and process them to clean them off. Same with any plant I get. Thanks for the heads up nonetheless!


----------



## DJMattz0r (May 17, 2015)

Not sure what you meant by processing to clean them off but most big box stores use neonicotinoid pesticides which stay in the plant for a while (I think the half-life is 3 months iirc?) they would require being grown out for a good while until they no longer contain the pesticides. I'm sure there's information about it somewhere here. Great plants btw


----------



## lunger (Oct 17, 2010)

Hey Josh! Nice looking Varadero.  I would agree with the others, be cautious of using plants that haven't already come from someone else's vivs or a froggers greenhouse or the like. Big box store plants, like many of their other products, are suspect in quality and origin. From plants to shelving, you really can't trust someone looking to maximize on profit. I would stick with cuttings from your fellow froggers and use the other plants for your living room. That's just me though. I have some awesome moss, not sure of the name, but if you come visit me again I will hook you up with it. I forgot to give you some. It looks amazing and grows very thick but short. Almost like a deep green velvet. Maybe I will have some S. Variabilis or Sirensis Highland babies for you to buy soon and you can grab some of the moss then! lol Yes...it's never ending! 

Bruce


----------



## Gibbs.JP (Feb 16, 2016)

DJMattz0r said:


> Not sure what you meant by processing to clean them off but most big box stores use neonicotinoid pesticides which stay in the plant for a while (I think the half-life is 3 months iirc?) they would require being grown out for a good while until they no longer contain the pesticides. I'm sure there's information about it somewhere here. Great plants btw


DJMatt - By "processing" I meant the process most places recommend to wash and clean any new plants. The pre-soak, 10% bleach soak, and rinse before using them. Still not sure if I will even use any of those, but the next tank I'm working on probably won't be ready for a few months anyways. Thanks for the info!



lunger said:


> Hey Josh! Nice looking Varadero.  I would agree with the others, be cautious of using plants that haven't already come from someone else's vivs or a froggers greenhouse or the like. Big box store plants, like many of their other products, are suspect in quality and origin. From plants to shelving, you really can't trust someone looking to maximize on profit. I would stick with cuttings from your fellow froggers and use the other plants for your living room. That's just me though. I have some awesome moss, not sure of the name, but if you come visit me again I will hook you up with it. I forgot to give you some. It looks amazing and grows very thick but short. Almost like a deep green velvet. Maybe I will have some S. Variabilis or Sirensis Highland babies for you to buy soon and you can grab some of the moss then! lol Yes...it's never ending!
> 
> Bruce


Hey Bruce! Yeah, those are some nice looking Varaderos for sure! I've got some questions about them I'll text you later. 

Between the cuttings I've got from you and Erik, I think I have plenty for my next tank. These on this post were an impulse buy that I thought could work in a vivarium setup. I would love some of that moss. I got some from NEHerp that looks nice, but not really what I had in mind when I put it in. Those S. Variabilis are definitely tempting.............


----------

