# Marcgravia flowering



## DPfarr (Nov 24, 2017)

Does anyone ever get flowers on their Marcgravia species?


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## varanoid (Jan 21, 2011)

DPfarr said:


> Does anyone ever get flowers on their Marcgravia species?


I only have rectiflora and I have never seen any flowers on mine. I've had it for less than a full year though at this point.


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## DPfarr (Nov 24, 2017)

None seem difficult to grow but I don’t think I’ve ever seen any flower. Makes me wonder what I’m not doing right. The flowers look really cool.


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## rtbaum (Mar 15, 2017)

Somewhere I seem to have read that Marcgravia sp. is a fairly massive plant when it flowers. Maybe an enclosure the size of a department store would be in order....hhhmmmm!


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## Llama (Dec 18, 2011)

They have big blooms high up in the canopy and they bloom out of mature foliage which itself is pretty rare in terrariums. I wish we could get them to bloom, they're ridiculously beautiful


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## Llama (Dec 18, 2011)

Here's an image from a quick Google image search... they're pretty cool


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## kimcmich (Jan 17, 2016)

Greetings,

Most viv specimens of Marcgravia are perpetual juveniles - the substrate-clasping foliage, which makes it such a viv favorite, is absent from the adult branches from which flowers arise. Those branches are arching/pending and 2 or more feet long.

The flowers are indeed amazing - their odd shape and organization are adapted for bat pollination. You won't see flowers unless you can provide for multiple, large adult branches which requires conservatory-scale accommodations. How large are the plants you're working with?

When I hiked in the rain forest in Puerto Rico, I saw alot of Marcgravia in juvenile and adult form. Out of 100's of plants showing adult foliage, I only saw a few in flower. I tend to think rtbaum is correct that only large adult plants produce blooms. The flowers in their pendant umbel are quite fleshy and robust and would seem to require an enormous investment of resources.


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## varanoid (Jan 21, 2011)

Llama said:


> Here's an image from a quick Google image search... they're pretty cool


Wow that is incredible. I had no idea their blooms were that impressive.


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## DPfarr (Nov 24, 2017)

Found this the other day and was thoroughly impressed. 










Accompanied article: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2014/03/bat-echo/


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