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: 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 …