Cercestis mirabilis and other 'new' plants

I've written before about how 'new' has lost all meaning in the context of houseplants. That said, it's fascinating to have a look at species being marketed as 'new' ... so here are three species that landed in my inbox recently in seller emails.  

Cercestis mirabilis (illustrated above) is an African aroid that was described by aroid legend Josef Bogner in 1985 (it has previously been placed in the genera Nephthytis and Rhektophyllum) but started blowing up in the houseplant world about two years ago. It has been given the common name the African embossed aroid, and grows in humid lowland forests, where it's an epiphyte that clambers through the tree canopy. While it's not a highly important plant medicinally or culinarily, it does have various applications in its home countries, including Benin, Angola and Uganda. Like most aroids, the leaves transform, lose their silvery markings and enlarge as they mature: there's excellent info and pics here. 

Episcia cupreata, the flame violet, is finally gaining some traction in the UK. This is a member of the gesneseriad family that I am totally biased about: I adore it. Episcia 'Harlequin' seems to be the available cultivar, but don't believe websites that tell you this plant is compact: it spreads by stolons and will trail beautifully in the right conditions. This species hails from northern South America, and is reputed to need a lot of humidity, but I grow mine with no problems in around 50%, in a pot with zero (yes zero) drainage (don't try this at home, kids!). The stolons mean it is extremely easy to propagate, which is fun. Sadly lots of the cool cultivars like 'Pink Smoke' are very hard to lay hands on in the UK. 

Hydnophytum moseleyanum (usually incorrectly labelled as H. papuanum) is a caudiciform and also an  ant plant - or myrmecophyte if you prefer. That means it has evolved a complex relationship with ants: the fattened stem base or caudex contains chambers where the ants (those from the genus Philidris) make their home. The ants deposit detritus that breaks down and feeds the plant, while the ants harvest honeydew from scale insects on the trees where the plant grows as an insect. It is native to wet tropical areas in SE Asia including the Solomon Islands, the Philippines and New Guinea. Caudiciform ant plants are starting to become more popular, with other species coming onto the market, too: Esoterica Exotica has an excellent piece on this and other species in the genus Hydnophytum. I'd always advise careful scrutiny of sellers when purchasing caudiciform plants, to make sure they have been raised from seed or at least sourced responsibly. 

This blogpost was taken from The Plant Ledger, my twice monthly email newsletter about the UK houseplant scene. Subscribe here and get my free in-depth guide to fungus gnats.