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In 1952 Ernest P. Imle gave one of his
two plants which he first acquired in 1948 when he was
living in Costa Rica to L. Maurice Mason who was a
British plant collector. Mr. Mason took the plant to
Kew. It did flower there and was put on record as
being the first one of these plants to flower at Kew.
"Cochliostema are members of the Commelinaceae
Family which also includes Dichorisandra (False
Blue Ginger) and Tradescantia (Spiderwort, Oyster
Plant, Purple Queen)," according to Eric Schmidt,
Botanic Records at Harry P. Leu Gardens.
“Both resemble a bromeliad or fleshy Agave.
Both are from tropical rain forests and are very
tender to cold. They both bear blue-violet flowers.”
According to
Hortus Third Cochliostema is also an epiphytic herb
however no herbal uses have been found for this plant
during my research.
There are two
known species of Cochliostema from Tropical America.
The first known species is Cochliostema jacobianum
which according to the New York Botanical Garden
Encyclopedia is the same as Cochliostema odoratissimum.
The second known species is Cochliostema velutinum
also known as Cochlistema velutina which was
discovered in 1960.
When two identical
plants are found to have two different names the
botanist’s rule of priority comes into play which
states that the first name given is the one used.
Cochliostema
odoratissimum has fragrant light blue flowers, solid
green foliage and an irritating sap. In nature it is
found growing directly on trees and occasionally on
the ground under the trees.
In cultivation it
is considered a greenhouse plant. It is hardy in zones
10 through 12.
Cochliostema
odoratissimum can reach four foot tall and five foot
wide under ideal conditions even in pots. Cochliostema
velutinum is a much shorter plant reaching only two
foot high however the stems can reach up to six foot.
Cochliostema
requires lots of humidity and frequent through
watering until the water runs freely from the bottom
of the pot. Feed mature healthy plants weekly with a
diluted liquid fertilizer from spring until fall.
Cochliostema grow
best in equal parts loam, sand, well rotted manure or
leaf mold with some orchid bark or osmunda fiber mixed
in. The soil needs to be coarse, loose and moist. The
soil should never be allowed to dry out.
Cochliostema do
not like their roots to be cramped so keep them in a
large pot until they reach their mature size.
They prefer to be
grown in bright shade with temperatures between 68 and
75 degrees Fahrenheit. Cochliostema odoratissimum
grown in bright shade will develop a purple flush on
the otherwise green leaves.
Cochliostema can
grow in full sun if carefully introduced to it
although it is not its preferred environment in the
tropics. When Cochliostema is grown in full sun it
will develop a reddish brown pigment along the leaf
margins.
“Cochliostema
is just a fantastic looking plant,” Enid Offolter,
owner of Natural Selections Exotics in
Florida
said. “The picture doesn’t do it justice. They
bloom year round. I have some with as many as six
bloom clusters right now. It is an extremely rare
plant from the wet forests of Ecuador.”
The leaves of
Cochliostema odoratissimum can easily be three feet or
longer. The flower panicles are one to two and a half
feet in length. The individual flowers are usually two
and a half inches across. The flowers each have three
sepals and petals as well as a hooded staminal column
which encloses the spiral twisted anthers.
There are three
sterile stamens. The fertile stamens develop as
prominent wings. The fruits appear to be capsules.
Cochloistema’s need to be hand pollinated to produce
seed. Fresh seed should be sown immediately in soil
that is 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Plants grown from
seed and not allowed to go dormant will bloom their
first year.
Cochliostema can
also be propagated by division of new offsets in the
spring or by rooting one and a half inch cuttings from
old stems. In nature when pieces of the plant fall on
the ground they root and grow.
When it comes to
the best way to grow Cochliostema Offolter says they
look the best when they are either displayed in
hanging pots or on a pedestal.
“If you notice
where the flowers are located, kind of under the
leaves and since the flowers hang down, you can enjoy
them that much better from a little higher up,”
Offolter said. “They
normally grow epiphytically on trees. I'm hoping to
naturalize a few this spring on my huge ear tree.”
Ernest P. Imle
stated in his article written for the National
Horticulture Magazine in January 1958 (Volume 37, page
43) that he had grown Cochliostema as a house plant
during the winter when he lived in
Maryland
. He stated that it does not reach its best
development in the reduced light and low humidity that
is the usual occurrence in heated homes. However
plants have been known to flower in greenhouses and
botanical gardens in cooler climates.
Another
interesting fact mentioned in Ernest P. Imle’s
article is that crosses between Cochliostema and
Setrecesia purpurata have been attempted without
success. Cochliostema has also been crossed with
various Tradescantia’s again without success.
This is one rare
plant that every plant collector should own regardless
of where you live if you can provide the humidity, the
correct temperatures and a place to grow a large plant
like Cochliostema.
Come
and join in on our discussion of Cochliostema.
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