Help me identify this plant
February 26, 2010 6:14 PM   Subscribe

Can you help me identify these plants that I rescued? I want to learn what will make them happier. (pics inside). Feel free to name them as well!

Pictures: Plant 1 (pic) Plant 2 (pic) Plant 3 (pic) Plant 4 (pic)
posted by Raichle to Home & Garden (19 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
I think you should name the second one Fred.
posted by kthxbi at 6:23 PM on February 26, 2010


Best answer: And the third one really looks like an Elver to me
posted by kthxbi at 6:24 PM on February 26, 2010


First is a dracaena, second is a kentia, third may be a ficus and fourth is a maranta.
posted by elgilito at 6:34 PM on February 26, 2010


#1 is a corn plant. #2 looks like bamboo.
posted by sanko at 6:35 PM on February 26, 2010


3rd is a schefflera. elgilito has the others.
posted by toodles at 6:42 PM on February 26, 2010


Best answer: fourth one is Penelope.
posted by at the crossroads at 6:43 PM on February 26, 2010 [1 favorite]


Best answer: As for care tips, they're all pretty standard tropical houseplants. Water regularly when the soil gets dry, but don't let them sit in standing water, put them in bright, indirect light, at least for the moment. (The fourth plant, often called a "prayer plant" will want a little more shade than the others.) You want to keep them relatively warm (but not near a heater, which will dry them out terribly!) Based on their neglected appearance, they might benefit from a little fertilizer (something like this, maybe).

It's not a good time of year for houseplants living in houses in cold climates, so don't expect a ton of growth right away. Until it warms up, you want them to just maintain. (Pull of the really dead looking leaves, though. And mist them occasionally; they'll like that as long as it's not too cold.)
posted by purpleclover at 7:08 PM on February 26, 2010


Best answer: The worst thing you can do is over-water.

The 4th one needs to have all the brown leaves cut off and then burn the dead leaves or put them in a garbage bag. In other words don't leave them outside in a compost pile where spores of disease might float back into your home. That goes for all plants where you have to cut sketchy looking leaves and stems off. Don't cut every single leaf. Leave at least the 4 healthiest looking leaves or it won't survive.

I think the 3rd one will need a LOT of light.

They all don't look too bad. I give them an 80% survival rate
posted by cda at 7:22 PM on February 26, 2010


Best answer: all four of these thrive on neglect, just not the kind of neglect they were getting. every office I've ever worked in had a corn cane that never got anything but coffee dregs, but they just kept on truckin'.

they're all tropicals, so don't put them outside unless you live in zone 10 at least. the ficus (#3) can take a lot of light. in fact, all of them except prayer plant (#4) can take a good amount of light.

I have stuff like all four of these on my west (long side) and south (short side) glass/screen porch right now in north florida. I water them once a week-ish in summer and every two weeks-ish in winter - that is, soak them, then wait til they dry. plants use a lot less water in the winter, so if you don't check to see if the soil is dry, you may overwater and give them foot-rot.

groom them right away (remove dead leaves), but don't prune too hard until growing season returns, then you can prune them up. if you groom them now, though, they'll look better and you'll feel more optimistic about caring for them.
posted by toodleydoodley at 7:30 PM on February 26, 2010


Best answer: cda's advice is good, although I'm not as paranoid about errant spores of disease.

And the schefflera does want a lot of light, but don't just stick it in front of a southwest-facing window or it will fry, even in winter.
posted by purpleclover at 7:32 PM on February 26, 2010


Best answer: 1) Corn plant
2) Areca palm
3) some variety of Schefflera (aka "umbrella plant") --never seen one that old before; someone's had that thing forever & put some years into shaping it!
4) Prayer plant

I've sold plants on & off for the last 15 years; I'm pretty confident in those IDs.
They are all 4 of them considered good "beginner" plants & can be brought back from death's door with a pair of scissors & some patient waiting for new growth.

The prayer plant and the schefflera in particular can be grown in very low light. All of them can/should be allowed to dry out between waterings. For exact care, hit google :) And for vivid, shiny leaves on that shefflera, I highly recommend "leaf shine" wipes & sprays (the brand I know is "Job's" & can be found at Home Depot), which eat dust/grime and give a light fertilization to boot. Great Stuff.

Enjoy your beauties & remember not to go crazy with the watering: It's far easier for a plant to replace dried-out leave than to kick root-rot from overwatering. And absolutely true that they need to go in for cold weather. In the summer they can be moved outdoors into a shady spot (NOT a sunny spot!) if you like.. A lot of plants really love that.
posted by Ys at 8:27 PM on February 26, 2010


I'm going with Vito Corleone for the first one, especially if it's a corn plant.
posted by inmediasres at 8:38 PM on February 26, 2010


Response by poster: Thank you all for the help! I'm a plant beginner and only have the basic spiders and ivies at the moment but I was looking to expand. Unfortunately I live in Pittsburgh where it's awfully cold and rarely sunny but I'll do my best to give them what they need.
posted by Raichle at 9:03 PM on February 26, 2010


Best answer: "corn" plant, btw, is a type of dracaena. Do not expect to get edible produce from it.
posted by Ys at 9:28 PM on February 26, 2010


Best answer: #1 Can be named Rupert and I think #3 looks a lot like a Bernhardt. Have fun with your new plants!
posted by julie_of_the_jungle at 12:26 AM on February 27, 2010


keep us updated !
posted by at the crossroads at 1:15 AM on February 27, 2010


Best answer: Plant 3.
posted by Sys Rq at 11:22 AM on February 27, 2010


Response by poster: So far it's not looking good. All of the leaves have died on the two large plants and there's no sign of new ones coming in. I'm giving them lots of love and not over-watering but I'm losing hope. Oh well, if it doesn't work out, I tried!
posted by Raichle at 10:25 PM on March 30, 2010


Response by poster: The palm survived and is thriving but the rest didn't make it. Thanks for the help!
posted by Raichle at 8:32 PM on September 23, 2010


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