In some home improvement stores Ponytail is tagged as Dracaena, how do you like that?

Erm. Well, no, but your description doesn't ring any bells about anything else, either. My blog post about Aspidistra (lurida, but the overall shape is the same: elatior is just larger and doesn't have the white dots) is here, if you're looking for a picture.

If it helps at all: in some if not all cases, having tags in the plants costs extra. I mean, it's not a huge additional charge, but it's still money spent that doesn't necessarily go toward making the plant sell any better, and you'd end up paying more. Another reason why you should be glad for "assorted foliage" or "green plant" tags is, if all the plants arrived properly tagged, they'd just get mixed up by customers over time anyway, and you'd be getting tags that gave specific but wrong information.

I know, I know, that doesn't really help.

Generally speaking, generic tags give adequate instructions, actually. Most plants are good with bright indirect light, watering when the soil is about half dry, room temperature and a little extra humidity. There are exceptions, but that's almost always good enough care to get you to a point where you can find out what you've got and modify your care accordingly.

The other approach would be to buy your plants from someplace besides a big box store, and deal with people who know something about the plants they're selling, though I recognize that there may not be such a place near you, it's likely to be more expensive if there is, and you might rationally conclude for one or both of those reasons that it's not worth seeking something like that out. I'm just saying. There may be better places in your area than what you've been looking at so far.

Mr. Sub is SO on the money with his response, people do take tags out and then replace in the wrong pot, or not at all! I enjoy the challenge of researching and locating the names of the unfamiliar plants I see that interest me...and by the way I came across a newer edition of a houseplant book at our library that incorrectly labelled a photo of a stromanthe as an agleonema (chinese evergreen - I'm sure I've spelled it wrong), but because I've seen photos of the stromanthe and in person in our local 'better' green house, I knew better. Walmart would sell an unnamed cute little cactus for around $2, the greenhouse would sell same size with a name for $5. I'll take my cup of tea and quiet time at night and flip through the library books and surf the net until I found what I needed, or do a search on one of the forums.

Yeah, all of the above is true. There will come a time if one continue to grow plants & study & experiment w/ them, that you'll know more abt the plants that 80% of the people selling them.

Tags are one of those unfortunate things, one can grow to accept over time. It ends up falling on us (the plant collector) to know what where buying & learn of its preferred care. I too will bring something home & scurry around trying to find out what it is.

Also, I'm blessed to have a local Indoor Gardening Society in which to belong. I'm involved now 10 yrs. + so I've got a really good idea of who grows what & so I can go to specific people for info.

Blutarski,

Just to show there's always hope, I recently bought an Anthurium at a local supermarket w/ a perfect & impeccable tag. Tag said it was by Twyford, and was an Anthurium Krypton, w/ a pic that matched the plant perfectly. Was in great shape, blooming a 4-5" pot for $6 or $8. I smile everytime I look at the plant AND the tag!

[silently envies pirate_girl]

;-)

Sometimes, also, if you look through whole flats of unlabeled plants, one or two will actually have the proper label on them. After all, the grower may need to know what he's got in order to sell it efficiently, so there's likely to be a label in there somewhere.

Oh, and another reason for not labeling -- some of the cheap places like Walmart illegally sell patented or trademarked plant varieties and simply don't label them in order to avoid paying the licensing fees. They've done that with a good number of coleus over the last few years, for instance.

I don't mind lack of labeling so much with the generic houseplants, but I DO wish somebody would label the cactus -- they're tough for me to ID! I very much appreciate it when Lowes' cactus and succulent supplier labels their plants. :-)

It's not always the store, sometimes it is the grower especially if unreputable.
I quit going to a local nursery because things are unlabeled, mislabeled not well taken care of. They blame the grower. I told them quit buying from the grower or label them correctly or I'm not coming here.
If I am going to pay the higher price I expect the quality.

Two years ago we were in the Dominican Republic (Punta Cana) where a brand new hotel resort had started up. Much landscaping was done and being done and lots of flowering plants were everywhere.

I had suggested to the manager that because many of the clients are northern snowbirds and the only way we see these tropical plants is by way of houseplants and many are difficult to get to recognize.
I thought a simple name tag to some of the most used plants might arouse interest. He thought it a great idea and confirmed other hotels do just that.

Well, we're going back in February and it will be interesting to see if he has taken up my idea. I'm sure the volume of landscaping will amaze us and we wont be able to just step over plants on the way to the pool, like we used to. The coconut palms will no doubt be as full as they were and the grass will be green and soft as it was.
Colorful blooms invade the pools and glimmer majestically at night with lights that lead the way down the avenues.

Such resorts do beckon and makes it very easy to forget all this snow for a little while.

pirate girl, I also found something to hope for. Bought a really nice sans from a supermarket, labeled correctly!

soil is soaked tho, i'm going to save it tonight.

How does one switch the tag without breaking off the nylon tie attached to the container, any idea?

Hey Blutarski,

That IS unusual & on a Sans. no less!!??

If it's soaking, I don't know what your plans are for saving it. My suggestion would be take it out of of the mix, brush or wipe off ALL of it, leave the plant out standing upright in an empty clay pot for a few days or lying across the top of the empty clay pot (exposed roots & all if it does have roots) to dry.

Or, what I've heard of being done is to place the bare plant on newspaper to let the paper soak up the moisture.

Either way, I hope you get it out of that mix FAST!

Blutarski, the plant you described could very well be an Aspidistra. They have flowers at the soil line that are often described as looking like little pizzas or hamburgers. This "button" you saw could very well be it, which would be a real treat since they rarely flower indoors. Did it also have long, green leaves on upright stems that mostly point straight up?

No, it had a ring of leaves that seemed to originate from under the button, as if there was a very short stem underneath, if that makes any sense.

Maybe an Asplenium nidus or A. antiguum (birds-nest fern)?