Civility is not all that hard, it does take some grace and tolerance, and control. We probably all asked at least this much of our children

Rhamel, nice pelargonium you have there; but I'm left wondering what does your own prejudice against "a bunch of mid aged housewives and retired gardeners" have to do with this thread??

Rhamel: Tropic of Cancer, watch it. I posted that because I genuinely love to see other people’s work.

It was not aimed at any particular post but as an example of a type of post which is similar to this one. You may want to learn from others and some others may just want to display their precious possessions. Both are fair enough. The point is that OP also deserves a decent response whatever the objective might be.

Hi Mike,

i have been growin an anthurium Clarinervium plant for almost 40 years. I never thought much about it being rare until recently when it became rather trendy and hard to find. I see plants occasionally on Ebay, sometimes for as much as 100 dollars. Seems outrageous to me, but I guess that’s just supply and demand. Here’s a picture of my very old plant.

It grows very slowly which may account for it being rare in the plant market.

Oh wow Barbmock! An online plant store here just recently posted some of these and they were around 150 dollars. after seeing your picture regretted not buying!!!

Have parts of this thread been deleted? There seems to be another, 2nd conversation going on here, of which I cannot make sense. And it's not abt Mike's original Q re: rare plants.

What gives folks?

What other conversation?

Yes, what other conversation indeed. I too find this thread confusing and wonder if some posts have been deleted. For example:

> I don't see one more at fault than the rest of us

At fault for what? I have tried to connect this to the contents of the previous posts but it doesn't seem to relate.

> I feel bad whenever
this happens for not speaking up about how the rest of us just despise
it.

Despise what? This also seems unrelated to any previous posts.

> Tropic of Cancer, watch it. I posted that because I genuinely love to see other people’s work.

Watch what? Posted what? I haven't seen any negativity or remarks from tropicofcancer that seem to deserve a warning.

> Leave it to a bunch of mid aged housewives and retired gardeners to turn
a nice entertaining post and make it a heated discussion over nothing!

What heated discussion?

It might be because the OP has posted at least 8 different threads in the last year with "rare" houseplants as the topic :-) And what is "rare" to the OP seems to be more or less commonplace to most others.......... So there is a bit of a back story going on here that others early in the thread have referred to.

Personally, I like Al's first response the best: "It depends on how you define "rare", I suppose. Every plant I own is as rare as rare can be. In fact, each individual is as unique as a fingerprint."

Just my opinion : anyone is free here to post what he/she likes in hope of a response, and anyone else is free to ignore the thread and 'walk on by'. Not everyone will want to respond to a particular thread, obviously. It might be a good idea to remember this, though: there are people, like myself, who are not here all the time and do not see all posts, and may well enjoy what they do see. Why someone putting the same question re. for instance rare plants should bother anyone else, puzzles me. Are you sure about the number you cite, by the way? I thought Al's response was quite sane and reasonable; 'rare' is quite a subjective description; the issue here seems to be with the word 'rare' as used by the OP, Mike. It is obvious to me he likes to chat about plants in general, and I do too, and this was always a good place for it. In most forums or groups online a small group will occasionally pop up who like to 'police' others' threads and posts, and I know GW is no exception. Perhaps such people should examine their attitudes a little, because in the end, it's the interest in plants that has us all here; other personal issues or prejudices are best left at home.

I am growing a blue butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea). It may be a common tropical plant but is not to be found where I live so I would call it rare. :)

That's a beautiful plant, one I've only seen in photos. Good luck with it.

Hot off the press!!! I got a new philodendron micans! So velvety!!! It only has 3 leaves but i wish i could grow the leaves bigger!!! Something as big as a gloriosum. Those gloriosum are so rare and so expensive!

Only a few leaves so far but it's growing fast (from the last of 5 seeds I carried from India earlier this year, you can guess what happened to the rest). Keeping my fingers crossed for some blooms this season. The leaves are pretty and fold down at night.

Oh, that's lovely! The seeds used to be available from Chiltern UK years ago, I don't know about now. Mick, happy for you. Long live your new plant.

Clitoria ternatea: Grows like weed in my hometown in India. Local name literally translates to "One who cannot be defeated". Very pretty flowers. Very good nitrogen fixer and often used to replenish/reclaim poor soil.

Yup, Aparajita. Also called "shankh pushpam" in Sanskrit meaning "conch shell flower" based on its shape. People in the far east use it in cooking and medicine but mostly an ornamental in India.

how’s everyone’s rare plant shopping this weekend?

What's the rarest plant pls that YOU own Mike?

You were asked upthread why this 'rarity' is so important to you, you didn't answer above. Won't you pls tell us WHY is this so important to you?

karen, it is because they are unusual which is what most collectors go for, otherwise, you would just keep accumulating plants

I tend to like unusual or rare plants too, Mike. But at the same time, I want them to thrive for me. In the past few years I have been collecting some sansevierias that are not found locally. It becomes a challenge to find a source. Many times collectors will trade some of the rare varieties. Also, rare plants are rare for a reason. Sometimes they are so slow growing that it’s not profitable to sell them. Other times they will only grow in the best conditions, not something we can do at home. So, it’s a matter of trial and error.

" it is because they are unusual which is what most collectors go for, otherwise, you would just keep accumulating plants "

That's a pretty narrow viewpoint..........and I'm not at all sure it is one that can be substantiated :-)) Not everyone who grows houseplants is a "collector". Most are just simple gardeners who garden indoors with houseplants as well as gardening outside :-) And some just grow houseplants as decor accessories in their home or to help improve or purify indoor air conditions. I doubt rarity or even a plant being 'unusual' plays much of a role in these cases. Plants are selected for their appearance, the function they serve or the ease of growth.....rarity is typically well down on the list of criteria, if it even comes into play at all!! And a great many houseplants come to be in our homes by happenstance.....they are gifts or plants we inherit from family or friends or something we see and like and acquire while shopping for something else entirely. 'Rarity' has little to no impact on these choices.

And as to the " just keep accumulating plants", like most outdoor gardeners, houseplant gardeners are aware of the space they have available and the time they have to devote to them and limit their acquisitions to fit those conditions.

Personally, rarity or a plant being unusual has no bearing on my houseplant choices at all. My collection of houseplants.....and there are a bunch of them.......are plants I have selected because I like their looks or because they were gifts. Some are dead common, some less so. But none were chosen because they were "rare". And I would expect most will have a similar attitude.

Can we please just talk about rare plants?

A lot of the plants mentioned here are aroids; e.g. philodendrons; does anyone worry about the fact they are supposedly dangerous to throats and lungs?

Thanks for answering the question Mike, I appreciate it.

Pls consider that maybe not a lot of folks are answering your Q 'cause they don't have things they consider rare, here, to us (in America, not Oz).

One pretty rare thing I've had & lost 3 times now (Grrrrrrr) is this exquisitely leafed Adenium perrirei.

Not that I have a pic of that part, but it is a caudex plant (IIRC).

This beauty doesn't always come back from dormancy; can ya guess how I know that?

Barb,

I still swoon every time you show your Anthurium clarinervium. If I ever see that in person, I will buy it so fast!!! I am all about texture & pattern (am quilter & textile designer) & so I'm totally smitten by the pattern of the veination (is that a word?).

venation

That’s really an interesting plant, Karen. I have never seen it. It is fun to try something different once in a while. Too bad it didn’t work for you.

thanks for your comment on the Clarinervium. I think it is easier to grow than some of the other velvet leaf types.

Mike, do you have some unusual or rare plants on your wishlist? I would love to hear about houseplants grown in your country.

I want a gloriosum next! But very expensive!

I don't own any rare plants at all. I really enjoy scheffs, F. Benjamina, Norfolk Island pines, etc.

Those were all the indoor mall/ office plants I just thought looked really cool when I was a kid. I still think they look really cool as an adult, so thats what I have. I dont care about what’s trendy or what anyone else thinks is cool. They’re in my house and on display for me to enjoy. And that’s all that matters.

Mike, I looked up gloriosum. Yes very beautiful. It’s interesting how similar it is to some of the anthuriums. Hefty price!.

Most people call it as the gateway plant. After that you go on to much more rare ones like anthuriums

I think the rarest plants I've ever owned are some Chinese tea plants: Sauropus spatulifolius (Drangon's Tounge) and Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Jiaogulan). The Jiaogulan tea is something I enjoy in the morning. I also have a Red Lime citrus tree which isn't very common.

I think the most unusual container plant I have is the adult form of syngonium podophyllum that I got as a cutting, its quite big and very vigorous container plant

I've given this question some due thought, and the cogitation's taken a botanical turn for the better, I must say

Here's the rarest potted plant(s-there are actually two intertwined plants there) I have - Operculicarya pachypus, from last summer.

But the rarest plant I would want to own?

Probably this one - Opuntia spinosibacca

Photo courtesy of Michelle Cloud-Hughes

@ calamondindave

So is are the limes actually red? Do they taste any different from a lime?

On my Red Lime tree, the peel of the limes go from green to a very dark orange color when ripe. I've heard if you leave it on the tree longer, it can turn an almost red color, but I haven't left them on that long yet. When slicing them, the inside flesh looks just like an Orange, but it taste just like a Lime, the best Lime flavor I've ever had.

I suspect amongst plant growers, what I have is very ordinary, nonetheless, I still enjoy them. For me, my oddest plants include an oniony type thing, and an oak leafed kalenchoe like plant, I also have a queen of the night, a rhipsalis and my friend just got me an aeonium. None of them are wildly unusual Tho. I am trying to grow a lemon, it’s been struggling, fighting a relentless onslaught of scale.

I don’t agree, do you derive more joy from a pet that is pedigreed, or one that is affectionate, intelligent and well suited to you? Maybe if you like showing pets and garnering attention from strangers, then perhaps a costly animal will make you happier. Different strokes. My plants are a mix of hand me downs, gifts, random cuttings, saved from the garbage, clearance table specials, grocery and corner store finds along with things that come from actual plant sales. A lot of my plants have a story for me, I still have the peace plant I got when I got my first apartment in the city, and it was over a florists. If I didn’t find it interesting I didn’t get it. And every gardening endeavour has taught me more just thru trial and error and shared experience, rather than thru Books or classes or videos.

One of the cats we adopted was half price and we couldn’t see her at the back of her cage because she was sick. Did the fact that she was common and underfed and had been living on the streets make her less than? No. But that’s just me. I guess I am a crazy plant lady for life lol.

Yup, gardening used to be a zen thing. People keep finding new ways of having to keep up with the jonses. A rat race for rare plant collection.. Courtesy the instagram and sundry social media... Such a shame.

FLF MIke,

If buying plants is causing you regret, you're doing something VERY wrong. It's supposed to be a source of pleasure, enjoyment & fun, not regret. If that's what you're finding, then maybe plants are just not the hobby for you.

Since you've mentioned how often you've killed plants, do you really think buying an expensive one only to lose it is going to make you feel good? Dead is still dead, rare, expensive & trendy or not.

My point is most folks who garden find some kind of pleasure in it, not regret, or they'd simply abandon the Hobby.

Ah, so you're all about the chase, well, OK that's more about that than the plants, but OK.

Again, the plants you cite from Kelly's collection aren't rare. Just 'cause you've never seen them before does not make them rare, at all. Good luck.

Mike, you posted a couple months ago saying all of your plants were infested and dying.

Rather than wasting money and adding new plants to kill, you should really get things on track, learn the correct practice for caring for your plants and get them healthy. You seem to do things backwards and for all the wrong reasons.

I was wondering, too, if Mike had ever gotten the hang of growing plants at all, "rare" or otherwise.

I think FLG is all about the trolling. Surely y'all have considered that?

Hi Jeff! I still think of that giant jade of yours!

Ive said he’s a troll since day one. Everyone just keeps feeding him though.

In my opinion, rarity has nothing to do with price.

For example, those $300 variegated Monsteras, $100 Anthuriums, etc, are actually not rare. If you have money, you can get one - That's not rare.

Rare, to me, means something that is extremely difficult (or impossible) to find, full stop.

And, ironically, those plants often can be pretty inexpensive, because they are literally not meant to be on the market, so it kind of goes hand in hand.

One of my rarest plants is a variegated Fire Flash Chlorophytum. It's just a little, simple plant, but I love it.

This is rare and would also, IMO, command at least hundreds of dollars, if not thousands, were it for sale. Mr. Yabe (also the photographer who let me use his photo) grows so many exquisite jewels. Mammillaria decipiens ssp. camptotricha cv. BRU

It's all a kind of madness, I think. I love my plants, but to others they are, well, just plants. And to spend a fortune on them, crazy. A case in point is the variegated Gollum or the Coral aka Skinny Fingers; people spend a lot on them if they can even access them to buy. Grown well, they can be just as nice as other jades, but in the cold light of day, they can be very ugly - variegated Skinny Fingers in particular always reminds me of a bunch of worms; beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder; obviously if we prefer a plant simply because it is rare and hard to find that's nothing to do with horticulture - it has entered the realms of one-upmanship, and may well develop into mania, e.g. tulip mania in the 1600s.