Alocasia Baginda 'Silver Dragon'

In comparison to all the Alocasia species listed, this particular one is considered a Jewel.
It is not a hardy plant and may easily succumb and rot away if overwatered - the succulent features of these plant - where the leaves are very much have a hard texture almost like a shield - a leather thick foliage.

These have a silvery-white heart shaped foliage with darker ribbed venation sunken deep inside the leaf surface. Similar to Alocasia reginula 'Black Velvet' but this is a reverse version of it.

I had challenges with this one.
Killed if few times - got it right for many months and still end up killing it as I took it for granted.
This one is similar behavior with Caladium - always in the balance of everything - not too much of everything.

Lighting:
Not too hot that will jade or burn the foliage and not too shaded that the leaves will start to turn yellow and wither away - a bright shade is the most ideal thing for this one.

Medium:

I often find this one grown and cultivated inside a cocopeat and end up killing it when overwatering it. And thus removing the access cocopeat and mix the medium 50% cocopeat with 50% sand to create the fast draining factor for watering purpose. 

Alternatively I also used coconut husk trimmed into small chips, mixture of perlite and sphagnum moss - similar medium that I used for Begonias & Anthuriums, something that I find that it holds the mature but doesn't create a soggy nature which leads to root rot.

Watering:
Overwatering is the main reason why this plant dies - do be very concern about this matter.

Feeding:
I find this is the most important factor - without proper feeding this plant will slowly will loose it leaves - one in a week and eventually goes dormant. It does however have a corm (bulb) that is very important to consider not to overwater it to cause it to go rotting inside the soil. Thus - proper care is required that it won't go dormant and totally lost.
Though - it may go dormant - do make sure it doesn't rot away.

Also I had found with my research the best fertilizer that works for this one is root hormone known as B1 and osmocote fertilizers. I believe seaweed solution too works best. The most important factor is getting the right balance and very much fall in the trial and error factors - it is somehow not a easy plant to cultivate but truly a rewarding one.

Other Matters:

If you find that each leaves is turning yellow day by day - check on the roots, best remove the whole plant as there may be a root rot involved. Do trim and remove the rotting part of the root structure and let it dry out for few days.

You may able to save the plant before it is too late.

Photo Credit:
Benjamin Kam
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

I finally managed to get this one sold in Sg. Buloh nursery. It is slightly overpriced when I got it before the marked up took place. I would consider this one is a bit rare and not easily available as common plants in most nurseries. 

I'm surprised to say that this one is very stable and easy to grow also in comparison to most other Jewel Alocasia - almost similar to the Black Velvet characteristics. I hope it last longer and produce more pups in my hands.

Other matters concerning the Care & Cultivation Methods on Watering, Medium and Pruning

Do refer to the link below:
Introduction to Jewel Alocasia

Do click to the Link Below 

To check on the Main Page Concerning Different Types of Jewel Alocasia:

Different Types of Jewel Alocasia - Names & Images

Different Types of Anthurium

Introduction:

I had wanted to list all the Anthurium  and their ID with images here.
Somehow it will be overwhelming to put the whole genes here which will proof futile as there are more that few thousands and more counting as never ones released in the market.

ANTHURIUM GUIDE IN MALAYSIA & TROPICAL REGION

Here I want to make a database on what is basically available to a common gardeners with reasonable affordable selling price and easily available in local nurseries around my region.
This is very much applicable around Klang Valley area
but I believe these are span throughout Asean regions.

But then,

There are many of these hybrids are easily crossbred and so there are countless species, cultivars, hybrids. This creates a tedious problem of putting one name on a single plant.

Reason being, these begonias are not stable and hence they will revert back to the most dominant parent or will struggle to balance the odds.

Another factor for these young plants / saplings - being still in the process of adjusting and so the will continue to revert to and fro from one parent to another and the confusion begins with trying to identifying them based on their stage their in.

However, It is safe to say that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
As long as you get closer around the group that they might fall into - it's better than inventing a false name and publish it as some plant vendor's do as their sole purpose is for commercial value rather than plant study or research material.

Sometimes commercial grows cultivate these cross breeds without releasing the names and often these are sold without any ID whatsoever. The best thing to do is weight the odds as each growers just put on a label / ID according to their whim & fancies even though they are already with another identified name.

So do bear with me / sometimes - these names are only identified and available when the growers / merchants identify them and hence I identify their ID from these sources.
Well, it's something than nothing - Wouldn't you agree?

I had earlier wrote separate post on each individual Anthurium on their identification and experience with them.

Please do click on the names listed below
and you will be forwarded to a link to that specific Anthurium topics mentioned.

INTRODUCTION ON CARE & GROWTH

Anthurium andraeanum - Care and Growth

Anthurium andraeanum - Dwarf Variety 

Anthurium luxurians

Anthurium crystallinum 

Anthurium Clarinervium

Anthurium Crystal Hope

Do click on their names to get to the link to get into more detailed information
on their Care and Cultivation on each plant types and their characteristics.

This is my basic Collection of my Anthurium Plants which I had collected over the years. Here I have the flowering variety and the foliage variety:

Flowering Variety:
1) Miniature Version
2) Large Version
3) Medium Version - Dark Foliage Type

Foliage Variety:
4) Anthurium Crystallinum.

 
Here I talk about How I Care & Cultivate Them:
Basically they need bright shaded area with good humidity. 

They can be much easier plant to care for comparison to begonias and Jewel Alocasia.

Anthurium Crystal Hope - Basic Care & Maintenance

This particular one is a new cultivar produced by the selection of A.crystallium cross breeding. Both parents were hybrids used only in the breeding program. These parents were noted for their distinctive foliar venation patterns and small leaf size hence I doubt the foliage structure will appear bigger than the its usual uniform size.

I must say that this particular Anthurium species is much rare in comparison to all the other foliage counterparts Anthurium Crystallinum & Anthurium Dorayaki put together- where this one can fetch more expensive and much difficult to find.

Normally sold in online nurseries and I had not come across it had made into a bulk in the plant market. Hence the price are very much controlled by the vendor.

I also realized that there is not much said about the plant rather more on a basic information that you can easily find listed together with the online plant nurseries database. One thing for sure is the heartache one must feel when the few leaves turning yellow and falling off and it is otherwise a too late dead plant to revive with an expensive lesson.

However, I was told that these are the actually an easy plant to care for once you know the basic care and maintenance need for them. Just like any other Anthurium species - their Care & Need are actually very much similar.

Care & Growing:

LIGHT:

This particular type is actually an epiphyte which works best as placing them as Vertical Garden Plant - because of this it can tolerate all levels of indirect light, but Anthuriums growing in low light will grow slower. These plants cannot tolerate direct light however, as this can burn the leaves. It grows best in bright, indirect light.

The balance of both is required as too much bright sunlight may cause the leaves get burned.

MEDIUM:

These do best in fast draining soil medium: 50% sand and 50% cocopeat.
You may also try with coconut husk cut into chips, perlite and sphagnum moss but making sure that the watering schedule is well adjusted.

However these do require fast draining medium good enough to keep the root ball moist but not soaking wet as it may cause root rot.

WATERING:

Because of the fast draining medium - they can tolerate good watering regime. Normally I water twice a day on a good sunny day and once a day in the morning on rainy days. I often refrain from watering if it rains in the morning.

FEEDING:

I find they do well in using foliar fertilizer especially the orchid mix types. Of course, these are much hardier than orchids - I find that they are quite resilient than most flowering plants.

 

This plant is a very slow growing plant - basically putting out a new leaf at about once a month and so a lot of patience is required to see it grow to a magnificent stage.

As I mentioned earlier, these are highly sought after and their price can be expensive and often sold as a small plant-let which may be subject to stress as they not stable yet. Often they will drop of their existing leaves due to stress and one may think that the plant is dead.

Another pointer:
Anthurium species are known to be highly variable and not every leaf of every specimen will always appear the same.


Photo Credit:
Benjamin Kam
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Anthurium Clarinervium - Basic Care & Maintenance

I must say that this particular Anthurium species is much rare in comparison to A. Crystallinum - where this one can fetch more expensive and difficult to find.

Normally sold in online nurseries and I had not come across it had made into a bulk in the plant market. Hence the price are very much controlled by the vendor.

One of the main characteristics that standouts well are the the foliage heart shape formation where the curve is much bigger and its top edge is almost touching. This particular one is very fond of growing larger and bigger in comparison to Anthurium Crystallinum.

However, I was told that these are the actually an easy plant to care for once you know the basic care and maintenance need for them. Just like any other Anthurium species - their Care & Need are actually very much similar.

Care & Growing:

LIGHT:

This particular type is actually an epiphyte which works best as placing them as Vertical Garden Plant - because of this it can tolerate all levels of indirect light, but Anthuriums growing in low light will grow slower. These plants cannot tolerate direct light however, as this can burn the leaves. It grows best in bright, indirect light.

The balance of both is required as too much bright sunlight may cause the leaves get burned.

MEDIUM:

These do best in fast draining soil medium: 50% sand and 50% cocopeat.
You may also try with coconut husk cut into chips, perlite and sphagnum moss but making sure that the watering schedule is well adjusted.

However these do require fast draining medium good enough to keep the root ball moist but not soaking wet as it may cause root rot.

WATERING:

Because of the fast draining medium - they can tolerate good watering regime. Normally I water twice a day on a good sunny day and once a day in the morning on rainy days. I often refrain from watering if it rains in the morning.

FEEDING:

I find they do well in using foliar fertilizer especially the orchid mix types. Of course, these are much hardier than orchids - I find that they are quite resilient than most flowering plants.

PEST:
So far I had not encountered any pest for this particular one.

This plant is a very slow growing plant - basically putting out a new leaf at about once a month and so a lot of patience is required to see it grow to a magnificent stage.

As I mentioned earlier, these are highly sought after and their price can be expensive and often sold as a small plant-let which may be subject to stress as they not stable yet. Often they will drop of their existing leaves due to stress and one may think that the plant is dead.

Another pointer:
Anthurium species are known to be highly variable and not every leaf of every specimen will always appear the same.

Photo Credit:

Benjamin Kam

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Anthurium Crystallinum - Basic Care & Maintenance

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:

I must say that this particular Anthurium species are very much highly sought after, so much so these prices range from RM60 - RM300 depending on the size of the plant and the number of the leaves in one plant.

I also realized that there is not much said about the plant rather more on a basic information that you can easily find listed together with the online plant nurseries database. One thing for sure is the heartache one must feel when the few leaves turning yellow and falling off and it is otherwise a too late dead plant to revive with an expensive lesson.

However, I was told that these are the actually an easy plant to care for once you know the basic care and maintenance need for them. Just like any other Anthurium species - their Care & Need are actually very much similar.

I would really recommend to get a common Anthurium andraeanum species from your local nursery which is actually cheap (roughly around RM10-Rm15) and try your hand on it. See where it ticks off or what it loves based on the condition of the garden atmosphere and such. Once mastered as such - then I would recommend you to get these rare & expensive types.

CHARACTERISTICS:

I must say that I was confused at first in actually identifying the actual plant as they all look almost alike and can easily mistaken if they are specifically identified - especially that one minute specific slight difference and even that - you can still miss it if you are not able to detect it.

However, Here are the list of that specific details that I would like to mention here for identification purpose on what makes Anthurium crystallinum different from the rest.

Foliage Anthurium especially this particular type are cultivated for the Foliage Beauty, the inflorescence however are very insignificant and unattractive. This particular plant falls into the Rare Plant Category in the Plant Collection. The Theme : Rare Plants is actually a marketing strategy to create that exclusive plant market niche - these are cultivated carefully in small batches as not to overwhelm the plant market thus protecting the plant market prices.

These are very much sought after as a Tropical Themed Plant and also very popular as an indoor plant.

1) Small to Medium sized Foliage Plant - Usually Clustered Together.

The Basic identity for Anthurium Crystallinum is the size. In most cases - it will appear to have a small to medium plant structure - the main stem doesn't grow to big and when the plant matures - it often branches out to more plant-lets, creating something like a colony based plant rather than a singular plant.

2) FOLIAGE LEAF SHAPE

This particular Anthurium have this distinct spade shaped leaf pattern - this pattern is very much in uniform with the A.crystallinum breed. Anthurium clarinervium is however more in a heart shaped pattern and the rest of the other majority types falls in a big sized leaf shapes.
I must say that Anthurium Magnificum does look almost alike with this one when it is still small - the only thing that makes it different is A. Magnificum grows into a giant size in comparison to this one.

Another confusing factor is the easily cross breeding with most of the Anthurium species - hence it can be a mix parentage hybrids in between Anthurium Crystallinum and Anthurium Magnificum - hence it may look exactly like Anthurium Crystallinum but appears much larger in size.

3) LEAF STRUCTURE:

RED PERIMETER LINING

Another slight variation between species are this small feature:

Anthurium Crystallinum has a fine red lining around the leaf perimeter, this appearance only appear when the new leaf is formed - also the new leaf appear almost paper thin and very fragile and so care much be greatly given not to accidentally bruise the new formed leaf.

NEW FORMED LEAVES ARE SOFT IN TEXTURE:

In comparison to Anthurium Crystallinum - the new formed leaf is very soft - almost like cloth in texture. Anthurium Magnificum however - the new formed leaf is very hard and firm to touch.

This is another specific difference to identify them as both Anthurium Crystallinum and Anthurium Magnificum has the same appearance when they are grown by seedling.

NO FEATURE AT THE CENTRE OF THE PETIOLE

In most cases, there will be a slight formation pattern in appearance for the Magnificum species where there will be an appearance like a bump or a dot in the center - Anthurium Crystallinum however does not have any of this feature.  If in case, if it does have some features - then in most case, it can be a hybrid.

ROUND RED COLORED STEM

Another Identification Feature for Anthurium Crystallinum has rounded leaf stem, unlike Anthurium Magnificum - it has 4 angled shaped stem and the hybrid has a D shaped stem.

Also the stem has Red colored stem in comparison to other variants.

 

GROWTH & CARE FOR ANTHURIUM:

LIGHT:
This particular type is actually an epiphyte which works best as placing them as Vertical Garden Plant - because of this it can tolerate all levels of indirect light, but Anthuriums growing in low light will grow slower. These plants cannot tolerate direct light however, as this can burn the leaves.

It grows best in bright, indirect light.
The balance of both is required as too much bright sunlight may cause the leaves get burned.

MEDIUM:

These do best in fast draining soil medium: 50% sand and 50% cocopeat.

You may also try with coconut husk cut into chips, perlite and sphagnum moss but making sure that the watering schedule is well adjusted.

However these do require fast draining medium good enough to keep the root ball moist but not soaking wet as it may cause root rot.

WATERING:

Because of the fast draining medium - they can tolerate good watering regime. Normally I water twice a day on a good sunny day and once a day in the morning on rainy days. I often refrain from watering if it rains in the morning.

FERTILISER:

I find they do well in using foliar fertilizer especially the orchid mix types. Of course, these are much hardier than orchids - I find that they are quite resilient than most flowering plants.

PEST:

So far I had not encountered any pest for this particular one however sap-sucking pest can find themselves at the back of the leaves so do check in case anything can cause harm to this plant.

This plant is a very slow growing plant - basically putting out a new leaf at about once a month and so a lot of patience is required to see it grow to a magnificent stage.

As I mentioned earlier, these are highly sought after and their price can be expensive and often sold as a small plant-let which may be subject to stress as they not stable yet. Often they will drop of their existing leaves due to stress and one may think that the plant is dead.

Another pointer:

Anthurium species are known to be highly variable and not every leaf of every specimen will always appear the same depending whether they were cultivated using seeds or stem cutting. If they were cultivated using seeds - most like the identification can be very challenging if they happen to be a hybrid between another hybrid of the same species types.

Anthurium Crystallinum is the most common and the cheapest Foliage Anthurium that you can find sold in the plant market - the other different varieties will somehow be more expensive due to it's rarity and slow growing characteristics as some breed may take a month or more just to produce a new leaf which may replacing an old dying leaf.

However challenging it may be - Growing Foliage Anthurium has it's own reward and sense of accomplishment.