Plant Profile: Giant Swamp Taro (Cyrtosperma merkusii)

A cultivated form of C. merkusii growing underneath a waterfall at Singapore Botanic Gardens. Introduction Cyrtosperma merkusii is a very large aroid thought to be native to Malesia, occurring in forest streams and freshwater swamps. It seems to be the only species of Cyrtosperma to naturally occur outside of west Melanesia. It is arguably one …

Plant Progress: Cyrtosperma sp.

Reminiscent of C. cuspidispathum especially as it matures, but younger plants reminded me of the C. hambalii seedlings. Perhaps a hybrid of the two? Or another species altogether. I suppose only time will tell! I repotted it today as it was horrifically rootbound. It seems to be going through a growth spurt lately. It outgrew …

Plant Profile: Cyrtosperma giganteum

For those that are interested in the Lasiodeae subfamily, there is an interesting new species entering cultivation this year! Known as Cyrtosperma giganteum, this herbaceous behemoth is native to the island of New Guinea. First described in 1910 by Adolf Engler, this huge plant boasts giant, leathery leaves (an English translation of his description can …

Plant Progress: Cyrtosperma merkusii, Giant Swamp Taro

It's been a while since I last posted. The last few months have been tough (as I'm sure they have for everyone), but I'm going to pick this up again! You might remember my last post detailing this species and my attempts to coax life from a tiny rhizome segment. After crawling along for several …

Plant Progress: Dendrobium crumenatum

It's only relatively recently that I've gotten into growing orchids. I think spending so much time in Singapore has made me appreciate them more, especially observing wild plants growing high up in the trees. One of the species I've recently started growing is Dendrobium crumenatum, or the pigeon orchid. It's native from India eastwards to …

Plant Profile: Pandanus amaryllifolius (Pandan)

Introduction & Origins An essential ingredient in South and Southeast Asian cooking, pandan leaves have a distinctive fragrance. Raw leaves smell grassy and nutty, whilst bruised or cooked leaves have a fragrance similar to vanilla and jasmine rice. They are used to flavour everything: from jelly and cakes to rice and chicken. In the tropics, …

Plant Progress: Giant Swamp Taro (Cyrtosperma merkusii)

I had a bit of a surprise this morning when I noticed that my smallest swamp taro plant has produced a new leaf! Any plant addict will know the addictive rush of realising that you can actually keep something alive and that it isn't dying. The giant swamp taro, or Cyrtosperma merkusii, is a colossus …

Plant Profile: Cyrtosperma johnstonii

Introduction & Origins Cyrtosperma johnstonii is a tropical plant native to the Solomon Islands in Oceania. Similar to its huge siblings C. merkusii and C. giganteum, it also has large, starchy rhizomes and gigantic leaves. This plant is grown across Southeast Asia as an ornamental, and despite its popularity, not too much is known about …

Post #1

Thanks for visiting. My attention span is appalling but I'm going to endeavour to write regularly. This is either going to be my only post, or the first in a series of aimless waffle. Just to introduce myself, I'm a twenty-something flight attendant based in Bristol, UK. Despite working only on ultra-long haul flights, I …