mistressofmuses (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
mistressofmuses) wrote2021-01-25 09:37 pm
mistressofmuses) wrote2021-01-25 09:37 pm
Entry tags:
In which I have feelings about a houseplant
My first real job was working in my college's library, in the interlibrary loan department. I worked there for four and a half years, but when I graduated, I obviously couldn't keep my work-study job.
My manager there was a very kind woman, and she gave me cuttings from a couple of the library plants when I left, as kind of a going away present. This was in 2011.
One of them was a green, leafy plant that she wasn't sure the name of, but proved to be one of the easiest houseplants I've ever had. The cutting rooted easily in water, then transplanted just as easily. If she (because I personified my plant as a she, don't @ me) goes too long between waterings, she perks back up as soon as she gets water. She sends up new branches very prolifically, and while individual leaves and stem segments snap off fairly easily, they then propagate SO easily. Not knowing what it was called, I've just called her "the library plant."
This poor plant had an extremely close call, and nearly died. When we lived for a while in my dad's townhouse, our housemates always kept the curtains drawn, and the plants weren't getting enough light. Alex and I would occasionally bring them outside to sit on the back patio to get some sun on nice days. Well, one of those days, my dad went out to cook something on the grill, and didn't notice/didn't think about the plants on the patio table... which was right downwind of the grill. The poor things were completely cooked, to the point of being black. The other plant, a Christmas cactus, was literal toast. The library plant lost every leaf but one, and even that one was black at the edges and along one side of its remaining stem.
Somehow, miraculously, this poor single stem and leaf survived.
When we wound up living in the car, my mom took my plants. She's an excellent gardener, so I wasn't surprised that the library plant thrived. Eventually, she planted some of the fallen branches she'd rooted in water into another pot, so there were two library plants, which have both continued to produce new branches and do just incredibly well. She still has one, and I took the other when we got the apartment.
This morning, I noticed that mine has a strange... tendril, growing out of one of her branches.
Looking at it, it kind of looked like a flower, with the "rougher" texture as compared to the branches. But in the 9 years of having the library plant, I haven't seen her do this. I figured it was probably the "flower" of this foliage-only type plant, but had a vague worry that like... the plant only does that when it's about to die or something, lol.
I spent longer than I should have while at work searching to try and find out what species my library plant *actually* is. I've looked at houseplant blogs and articles and stuff before, but never seen anything quite like it, which surprised me because it's such an easy and forgiving plant to care for.
I finally hit on at least the genus! I now know that my plant is a peperomia. I'm almost completely certain that the species is Peperomia scandens, the "green" variety, rather than variegated. (Yes, every time I read the scientific name I think "scandalous pepperoni".) Though as the linked article mentions, the genus has over 1500 species in it.
And, while the article is dismissive of their flowers, it mentions that almost all species rarely bloom indoors. (It looks like there are a couple exceptions, but most almost never do.) And with some of the species it mentions that they almost never bloom indoors... except under ideal conditions.
So basically now I'm just really happy that I've made my plant happy. ;_;
My manager there was a very kind woman, and she gave me cuttings from a couple of the library plants when I left, as kind of a going away present. This was in 2011.
One of them was a green, leafy plant that she wasn't sure the name of, but proved to be one of the easiest houseplants I've ever had. The cutting rooted easily in water, then transplanted just as easily. If she (because I personified my plant as a she, don't @ me) goes too long between waterings, she perks back up as soon as she gets water. She sends up new branches very prolifically, and while individual leaves and stem segments snap off fairly easily, they then propagate SO easily. Not knowing what it was called, I've just called her "the library plant."
This poor plant had an extremely close call, and nearly died. When we lived for a while in my dad's townhouse, our housemates always kept the curtains drawn, and the plants weren't getting enough light. Alex and I would occasionally bring them outside to sit on the back patio to get some sun on nice days. Well, one of those days, my dad went out to cook something on the grill, and didn't notice/didn't think about the plants on the patio table... which was right downwind of the grill. The poor things were completely cooked, to the point of being black. The other plant, a Christmas cactus, was literal toast. The library plant lost every leaf but one, and even that one was black at the edges and along one side of its remaining stem.
Somehow, miraculously, this poor single stem and leaf survived.
When we wound up living in the car, my mom took my plants. She's an excellent gardener, so I wasn't surprised that the library plant thrived. Eventually, she planted some of the fallen branches she'd rooted in water into another pot, so there were two library plants, which have both continued to produce new branches and do just incredibly well. She still has one, and I took the other when we got the apartment.
This morning, I noticed that mine has a strange... tendril, growing out of one of her branches.
Looking at it, it kind of looked like a flower, with the "rougher" texture as compared to the branches. But in the 9 years of having the library plant, I haven't seen her do this. I figured it was probably the "flower" of this foliage-only type plant, but had a vague worry that like... the plant only does that when it's about to die or something, lol.
I spent longer than I should have while at work searching to try and find out what species my library plant *actually* is. I've looked at houseplant blogs and articles and stuff before, but never seen anything quite like it, which surprised me because it's such an easy and forgiving plant to care for.
I finally hit on at least the genus! I now know that my plant is a peperomia. I'm almost completely certain that the species is Peperomia scandens, the "green" variety, rather than variegated. (Yes, every time I read the scientific name I think "scandalous pepperoni".) Though as the linked article mentions, the genus has over 1500 species in it.
And, while the article is dismissive of their flowers, it mentions that almost all species rarely bloom indoors. (It looks like there are a couple exceptions, but most almost never do.) And with some of the species it mentions that they almost never bloom indoors... except under ideal conditions.
So basically now I'm just really happy that I've made my plant happy. ;_;
no subject
no subject
One like this, or a spider plant, are some of the easiest, if you decide you want to keep one. (They're very forgiving!)
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject