# More good viv plants (many pics)



## dirtmonkey (Feb 10, 2007)

Since I'm up and bored on a Friday night/Saturday morning, I thought I'd post a few more pics of plants some of you might not be familiar with.

These have done well in warm, wet terrariums and vivariums for me, better than just surviving. It's just a few things, what I already had pictures of on the computer. Since I haven't had a vivarium with animals for a couple years, soon I hope, some of these were growing in other containers when I took the photos.


































*Bertolonia marmorata 'Sanderiana'*

These are the perfect terrarium plants for a big wow factor. The metallic silver really stands out. The grow just fine in plain moss and/or moist broken down leaf litter. I'm constantly amazed at how rare they are- it seems they were more popular 100 years ago when people were heating greenhouses with coal and wood. The leaves are like some begonias and could get torn up by larger clawed animals, but I've had medium sized frogs like firebellied toads crawl all over them without damage. 

The last one is just a seedling that came out darker, which I planned to do more breeding with, but lost it (and a lot of other things) after my room got over 115 F too many times last Summer. Fortunately I had a few seeds saved, so I'll have _B. marmorata_ again. Also in that pic, top to bottom on the Right: three _Episcia_; 'Kee Wee', practically perfect in every way; 'Silver Skies', a great "miniature" though can spread fast; and 'Aloha Mauna Loa', my own hybrid, which is inexplicably popular and widespread now. There's a much better pic here: Episcia Aloha Mauna Loa picture- webshots. No, I didn't grow that one!

The whole tank picture is a 10 gallon. Most of the 2 1/4" pots were divisions of my _Quercifilix zeylanica_, a tough little miniature vivarum fern, which filled up those little pots in no time and were about to be traded for some really cool stuff... when the heat waves... yeah. Anyway I saved some spores so I'm trying to grow those before I break down and buy that amazing little fern again.

---------------------------------------------------------------------


































More _Bertolonia_. Top 2 are an unknown species from Ecuador via Harry W.; third is a terrible picture of _B. ovata_ 'Bronze' from Brazil, which is actually a very pretty dark leaf covered in purple hairs; and last one is another one from near Iporanga, Brazil, which has red leaf reverses and bright red stems. I lost them all, but had backup seeds of the 'Iporanga', so I'll have that one again soon. They're all in 2 1/4" square pots in a closed aquarium.

---------------------------------------------------------------------










_*Hatiora epiphylloides*_* 'Bradei'*
A cute little epiphytic cactus that loves warmth and humidity. It's normally much neater looking, and hangs downward with very regular geometrical segments. This is just some scraggly cuttings I had recently rooted. It died back in the heat, but some parts survived. After it gets going again I'm going to poke it around in the branch and background moss of my next vivarium.

---------------------------------------------------------------------










*Biophytum sensitivum*

I've spotted this on other setups here. Really a neat plant, like a miniature palm tree that flowers and moves around a lot. Every time you look in, it's holding the leaves differently- sometimes closed and pointing down, sometimes folded and held up, sometimes spread out like in this picture (which it does most of the day). The leaves will also fold down if you touch it or when water is dripping on it. It throws seeds so you'll sometimes find one popping up way on the other end of even a 55 gal tank. The glossy, textured leaves to the Right are _Diastema racemiferum_ (or another closely related _Diastema_, it hasn't been properly identified yet).

---------------------------------------------------------------------










*Phinaea ecuadorana*

A gesneriad in the scaly-rhizomatous group, along with Achimenes and Smithiantha. The leaves actually have a bluish color that doesn't show here, and the little flowers have green eyes. Close relatives like other _Phinaea_ spp, _Diastema_, and smaller _Achimenes_ will kind of wander around, pop out some flowers, and seem to disappear once in a while, then suddenly come back from the little rhizomes they've hidden around and do it all over. The hybrid _xPhinastema_ 'California Dreaming' has dark purple leaves and magenta and white flowers, and persisted in one fairly wet viv for years until I dismantled it, along with _Diastema racemiferum_, _Achimenes erecta_ 'Tiny Red' and _Gloxinia (formerly Koellikeria) erinoides_. _Phinaea albolineata_, a very miniature plant with fringed white bells for flowers and white veined leaves, always tended to stay just in the spots I planted it, especially liking to be out on a branch or rock in a patch of moist moss.

Another nice thing about the rhizomatous gesneriads, and the tuberous ones too, is that terrible things can happen that kill off your whole plant collection- but then these will come back.

---------------------------------------------------------------------










*Begonia alchemilloides*

From Brazil; The flowers aren't much, just little white things, but it really liked being in warm humid terrariums (until it got roasted). I'm going to get this one again. It's supposed to be tuberous, but mine hadn't made tubers by the time it got cooked. The leaves are just as small as the smallest _B. bowerae_ and miniature begonia hybrids. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------










_*Sinningia pusilla*_ 'Snowflake'

This is another gesneriad- I've grown literally hundreds of different gesneriads and I don't think there's another family that has so many different species loving warm moist terrariums. I'm surprised I don't have more pictures, especially of the more colorful leaves and flowers. I'll take more as I build up the collection again. I do like Episcias, but even the smaller ones can take over a viv in no time if you're not chopping them up every week or so. Some of the bigger ones are total thugs in a terrarium, even though they can be delicate wimps out in the open air.

These _Sinningia_ here are mature young plants, grown from seed, in the lid of a deli salad container. none of the "microminiature _Sinningia_" plants get more than a couple inches across, as opposed to the regular miniatures which are a up to six inches, or sometimes even bigger when really happy. 'Snowflake' is a fringed white mutation of S. pusilla. The mother plant I've had longer than anything else now, living for year and years in a pint canning jar in live moss. _Sinningia concinna_ and the recently discovered _S._ 'Rio Das Pedras' add lavender and purple bicolors and spots to other micromini sinn hybrids. All of them will love heat and humidity, and if something goes wrong, they just go dormant as a pea-sized tuber which will resprout in no time. In a viv, they usually never go dormant and bloom all year around. They like to be lower down where the light is diffused and will grow in live moss, peat, light soil mix, coco coir, or anything else that isn't heavy and mucky. Some of them, like _S. pusilla_ (lavender), 'White Sprite', and _S._ 'Rio Das Pedras' are very good at reseeding themselves around when they're happy- and if it's warm and humid, they're probably happy.

That's it for now

V


----------



## Manuran (Aug 28, 2007)

Beautiful plants and great informative post.
Thanks!


----------



## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

Manuran said:


> Beautiful plants and great informative post.
> Thanks!


I can send you the Quercifilix if you would like one.


----------



## dirtmonkey (Feb 10, 2007)

Thanks Manuran- I've been eyeing your sale lists, you may be hearing from me when I get more growing space set up 

Hi Harry- I just heard from a local person who has the Quercifilix too, but thanks! I'm making a serious effort to get it from spores but of course it will be several months before I know if it really worked. I found out it's a variable species in the wild, so I'm hoping I might see some different forms this way too.

The one I might have more problem replacing is the Ecuadorean Bertolonia. It might be a while before I can afford an Ecuagenera order, but I really really want some of their orchids... I want to get another _Lepanthes telipogonoflora_ and they had some other small warm growing suggestions when they were here at an orchid show. I think I planted seeds of the Bertolonia, but they looked so much smaller and lighter than other Bert. seed- I'm not sure they're viable. I guess I'll find out in a week or two when they germinate (or not) have you ever looked at seeds from yours?

I'm not sure I have anything to trade that you don't already have anyway!

Vincent

The *Lepanthes telipogoniflora* (R.I.P.)



















I'm going to make a separate post about this interesting moss, I can't remember if I already posted here about it but I'm still fishing for ideas on ID.


----------



## BrianC (Jul 18, 2009)

Do you have success with tuberous begonias in the viv (roasting aside)? I was given a nice little _Begonia sutherlandii_, and it's been doing ok for me, but I'm afraid that it won't be long lasted as I am under the impression that most of them need a dormant period.

Thanks for posting the nice photos and info!


----------



## JoshH (Feb 13, 2008)

Vincent ~ Nice plants! I seem to recall reading your posts on the GardenWeb forums. I'm currently working with alot of Bertolonia seeds myself at the moment. I am having a lot of success growing the Bert "Ecuador" species, now I just need to start propagating it.

Maybe a group Ecuagenera order should be arranged


----------



## dirtmonkey (Feb 10, 2007)

BrianC- no, I can't say the tuberous have been very successful. B sutherlandii did OK for a while, then faded away over several months. I also tried a hybrid between sutherlandii and something else (don't remember now, the hybrid was a miniature trailing plant). Same thing happened. Neither one formed any tubers, possibly because they never got short days. Those tanks were on constant 14 hour days. I haven't tried any of the bigger tuberous hybrids- too big. That's why I wanted to work on smaller ones. Maybe someday I can hit on something that works. It would have to either form tubers and go through dormancy without seasonal changes, or be in more constant growth like the 'Nonstop' hybrids I was going to try using in breeding.

Josh- woohoo! someone actually read my preaching the gospel of Bertolonia! LOL Yes, I've posted on GW, though it doesn't seem like many people read there any more. Believe it or not that was a hopping place back in the mid 90s when it was new. I've also posted about them on a few other sites but there hasn't been a lot of interest- yet. I think they're on the verge of being rediscovered by people who grow plants with similar culture- gesneriads, begonias, some orchids, tropical carnivores... and warm viv's.

I am very glad to hear that you're working with Bertolonia. Have you gotten seed from Brazilplants? I hope that you'll keep the species going, and maybe try some hybridizing too. I have great plans for those plants, but keep getting set back so don't have a single hybrid yet. As far as I can tell, the _B. marmorata_ 'Sanderiana' is the only long-cultivated variety available anywhere, except possibly the _B. maculata_ sold (sometimes) by Kartuz. There might be some interesting collections and cultivars growing at botanical gardens somewhere, but if so, they're ironically being kept secret, and might as well be on the moon. same with their Asian counterparts, Sonerila.

BTW I've found a few chromosome counts for _Bertolonia_, they all listed n=14 (gamete count), so there's a pretty good chance they'll cross. I plan to keep trying.

Would you keep an eye on the seed pods of the Ecuador plant? I'm curious to find out whether it's self fertile. I'll let you know if my seeds germinate.

V


----------



## NathanB (Jan 21, 2008)

How did i miss this thread, awesome plants dirtmonkey.
I still need to find the marmorata sometime. All your plants look really great


----------



## JoshH (Feb 13, 2008)

Vincent ~ My seed originally came from Brazilplants as well, Harry recently pointed me to them and I will likely be trying out alot of their offerings. I mainly want to obtain as many true species as I can to preserve them in the hobby, but your hybridizing projects should create some neat looking plants.

Funny you should mention botanical gardens, I'm aggressively trying to form some connections with a few gardens and possibly trade some rarer plants. To your knowledge has anyone managed to deal with a public botanical garden? I don't know if they ever accept plants from private collections, or release any of their specimens. I plan to visit Selby Gardens in Sarasota soon to see what they have, I have heard that they are more lenient with their plants.


----------



## NathanB (Jan 21, 2008)

has anyone had any luck with Bertolonia sp 'Zizo'? mine didn't sprout.


----------



## dirtmonkey (Feb 10, 2007)

Josh, I think the preservation is the most important part. I kinda consider that the 'Science', and hybridizing the 'Art'. I have pretty strong morals around keeping hybrids separate from wild collections, and not releasing hybrids or cultivars that could too easily be mixed with a natural species collection. That's one reason I don't mess with hybridizing locally native plants, as tempted as I've been sometimes (i.e. I would like to see our _Asarum caudatum_ crossed with other species, but don't want the hybrids anywhere near the wild populations).

As far as botanical gardens... Yes, I've heard of, but not been the lucky one. It depends on the ownership/management and their philosophies... and who you know (or who you... uh... go on a date with LOL). We have very open BGs here with seed banks and sales I have used, but they're mainly focused on local native plants.

I can understand the conservative view. Taking in unverified specimens can pollute the gene bank, and releasing plants to the public generally results in most or all of them being killed. There's no way they can really know that you or I might even be better at germinating, growing on, and preserving any given plant. Of course I've killed so many myself... but then the gardens lose things all the time too :-/ [There's also the problem of invasive species. Botanical gardens have been blamed as the sources of many unfortunate releases in the past, so I can see why they might be a little paranoid]

When my Spanish and Portugese get better and I can afford to travel though......

Bussardnr, I had several types that didn't germinate in the first sowing. After storing in the refrigerator for a while (no special dessicants or anything, up to 2 years), they did germinate from my second and third sowings. That's one reason I only plant about 1/4 of any packet each time and store the rest. 'Zizo' is another Brazilplants collection I believe, so maybe they just need a rest for a while. I'm not sure how Mauro or his contacts store them down there.

V


----------



## JoshH (Feb 13, 2008)

Here's two pics of mine:


----------



## markbudde (Jan 4, 2008)

Cool thread! What kind of light do these plants need?


----------



## dirtmonkey (Feb 10, 2007)

How much light depends on the plant, but Bertolonia are considered moderate to low light plants. Mine were mostly grown under a shoplight (two 4 foot tubes), sitting over a 55 gal tank. Cool white, Daylight, grow-lux types, they don't care much. The 10 gal tank was on a light shelf, with plastic over the top. The shoplight was hanging about a foot above the top.

To give an idea in regular fish tank terms, they would do OK in a 10 gallon horizontal with one regular 15 watt tube if it's on over 12 hours/day, or a 20 gal. horiz. with a 20 watt., but 2 tubes over any tank would be much better. Like almost all other plants, incandescent light isn't going to do very well, and heat lamps are worse.

I've also lit tanks with overdriven T8, things tend to stay more compact and bloom more. That's too much light for the Bertolonias really, they bloomed a lot but the leaves bleached and curled a little. I tend to always put in more light than I really need because I want orchids and tillandsias near the top to really grow and bloom. Since I'm just getting back to growing and everything's little bits and pieces, I've got two tubes in overdrive on top of the 45L, a fresh new clear acrylic cover, and will be injecting CO2 when I get around to fixing up some new bottles. Things will grow 3x as fast that way so I can start propagating sooner. No frogs in there.

V


----------



## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

Vincent, I gave all of that particular Bertolonia away but I know Nate has some. Maybe he can send it to you instead of me. I never looked at the seed. Took forever to see the first flower. I feel your pain iver the Lepanthes. I bought one earlier in the summer and it did OK for a while but then evaporated. I'm working on a small 'tube' to grow some of these species on so I'm going to wait until I get it going before ordering again. Yours looks much nicer than the one I received. Did you get it from Ecuagenera?


----------



## dirtmonkey (Feb 10, 2007)

Hi Harry; Yes, I got the Lepanthes from Ecuagenera. It did very well for years and almost always had at least one flower on it, with basically no care once I sealed it up in that little bubble bowl. 

The Berolonia from Ecuagenera didn't take very long to bloom here at all. It had maybe one more leaf than the one in JoshH's picture. Maybe it liked the cooler nights here. In any case I'm hoping the seed is OK and I'll see growth here- if so, I'll be the one with extra plants myself 

JoshH thanks for putting in a whole plant picture, it was hard to tell what it looked like from my close-ups. 

V


----------

