IT'S HOUSEPLANT APPRECIATION DAY Earlier I said I would do a thread on some of my tropical houseplants so here we go!

Up first we have this beautiful Philodendron gloriosum of mine this is a velvet leaved philodendron from Columbia which has requirements for high humidity

Like the P. gloriosum this here is a P. verrucosum "mini". These philodendron or epiphytic meaning they climb and can take in ambient moisture via aerial roots. This particular philodendron is rather difficult to find and I grew it myself from tissue culture then air layering

This is one of my personal favourites because the leaves are the same size of my torso. This is a Dieffenbachia, also known as the dumb cane. Don't eat it, they used to use the leaves to torture people. It contains like amounts of calcium oxalate which causes oedema

Then we have my Philodendron squamiferum X pendatum "Florida ghost". This plant features a mutation in which new leaves come out with no chlorophyll and as the leaf hardens it results in green foliage. This is a new leaf emerging from a cataphyll.

Here we have a Philodendron billietiae. This is the Croat variety as it takes the name of the famous botanist. Up the petioles we see dark spots, these are extrafloral nectories which in good sun love to make my floor very sticky

This here is a favourite of @Ferchucky the Musa (I think this is a dwarf cavandish variety). Banana plants aren't trees either, they're herbaceous plants. More importantly they don't have a trunk, it is instead a fibrous pseudostem

Here is a photo of me with said banana plant with my banana mask going through Leeds. Notice the darker patches of leaves, this is a form of variegation which results in varied pigmentation levels throughout the leaves.

This here is an Anthurium, this particular species is the clarinervium. It was very hard to get and rather expensive, then the nevetherlands flooded the market with them (thanks...). This is a new leaf which emerges burgundy but rapidly increases in size maturing to dark green

This maturation is common amongst most Anthuriums. They also don't produce true flowers. Instead they produce a spadyx which is a modified leaf. Then an inflorescence (see my image below). Notice how it looks sticky, that's nectar. Most plants from the family Aracea produce these

Speaking of flowers, this is a terrestrial orchid, Ludisia discolor 'dark'. These orchids grow in the grounds unlike the more common epiphytic orchids which grow in trees. They grow by seed but can easily by propagated via nodal cuttings

When we are talking about adaptations for growth, a great example has to be from my Dracaena (was Sansevieria) masonica. These paddle shaped plants survive harsh arid environments and go months without water. If you want an easy plant get yourself one of these

This is a Monsters dubia, the silver specks are a form of variegation where there is an airpocket between the leaf layers, this causes refraction giving silver variegation throughout

Other forms of variegation do exist though. This Philodendron Burke Marx veriegata (discovered by the architect and botanist of the same name) shows yellow variegation cusses by a lack of chlorophyll pigmentation in some or all cell layers.

We also have some plants which are a bit obscure such as my Dioscora elephantipes. These plants are endangered and are being poached at high rates from the wild (most of mine are on this list). This caudax here is from a private seller and was grown from seed not the wild

A good way to verify the plants you have if they are harder to source is look at the size, smaller plants are often from seed. Or ask if it was propagated and ask to see the mother plant. Not seeing the mother plant is a big no no.

Alternatively, ask for supply documentation to see if it can be verified. Most of my collection has an EU traceability number for pests and you can find origin on the plant on there

Appreciating plants is a wonderful thing, but we also have a responsibility to make sure they are carefully sources and no damage is being done to indigenous species. Moreover, to make sure invasive species and pests are being spread too.

And finally, since this is a plant appreciation post. Here's a couple images of my collection. There's a fair few of them and I can name every single on of them I should probably plug my plant shop too but currently I'm not trading due to winter.