Hydnophytum ramispinum (Jayawijaya, Irian Jaya)
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Product information "Hydnophytum ramispinum (Jayawijaya, Irian Jaya)"
Hydnophytum ramispinum
Hydnophytum ramispinum Becc. is an epiphytic species of the Rubiaceae family, found in the mountain rainforests of New Guinea. It grows on tree trunks and branches in humid high-altitude forests and forms a tuber-like caudex with a branched system of cavities. The cavities are predominantly colonised by various invertebrates and – unlike many other members of the Hydnophytinae – are only rarely inhabited by ants.
A characteristic feature of the species is the caudex, which forms rigid, star-shaped, branched root spines – a distinguishing feature unique within the genus. Further diagnostic features include the narrow to elliptical, leathery leaves and the paired, white, four-parted flowers with a short corolla tube. The fruits are small, red berries.
An absolutely fantastic new introduction!
Having previously mistakenly offered a yet-to-be-described species as Hydnophytum ramispinu or H. cf. ramispinum, this is in fact the true species.
In cultivation, the plants are straightforward but, unfortunately, grow rather slowly.
I grow the plants upright in pots, but in the wild the caudices hang vertically downwards.
Only a few seedlings available!