It's not a triffid, but what is it?
May 19, 2012 9:13 AM Subscribe
I have this plant [1] [2] [3] in my office. What is it?
I bought this plant a couple of years ago when it was three little sprigs in a plastic pot. It liked my windowsill, apparently, because it grew a bunch of long sprigs and flowered. But it's been in its current state for over a year (no new stems, no flowers).
I repotted it once when it was growing like crazy, and it has these large bean-shaped root things. And there have been a bunch of nubs around the base of the plant that look like what grew into the new stems before, but they've just been sitting there.
When the plant was active, it would grow a new stem (8-10") in a couple of days, and then the branched leaf structures would unfold over the next few days.
I guess it's some kind of fern, but I don't know enough about plants to describe it in a way that Google can find it for me.
Any horticulturists who know what it might be?
I bought this plant a couple of years ago when it was three little sprigs in a plastic pot. It liked my windowsill, apparently, because it grew a bunch of long sprigs and flowered. But it's been in its current state for over a year (no new stems, no flowers).
I repotted it once when it was growing like crazy, and it has these large bean-shaped root things. And there have been a bunch of nubs around the base of the plant that look like what grew into the new stems before, but they've just been sitting there.
When the plant was active, it would grow a new stem (8-10") in a couple of days, and then the branched leaf structures would unfold over the next few days.
I guess it's some kind of fern, but I don't know enough about plants to describe it in a way that Google can find it for me.
Any horticulturists who know what it might be?
Best answer: Agreed. See here: it's not really a fern though.
posted by Logophiliac at 9:22 AM on May 19, 2012
posted by Logophiliac at 9:22 AM on May 19, 2012
Response by poster: Wow, that was fast! Thanks! The only thing is, I'm seeing notes that it grows red berries, but mine only put out little white flowers. But I'll be chasing down info on Foxtail ferns.
Thanks again, AskMe!
posted by spacewrench at 9:26 AM on May 19, 2012
Thanks again, AskMe!
posted by spacewrench at 9:26 AM on May 19, 2012
Asparagus ferns like humidity, I wonder if the humidity in your office has somehow changed? Have you moved desks in that time, or had one of those little zen desktop fountains that you stopped using?
My first thought - especially in an office environment where the air tends to be dry - is to put it on a little dish full of pebbles kept topped off with water. You could also mist it daily, but it's going to be hard to do that without spritzing water all over your window (annoying).
posted by ErikaB at 11:06 AM on May 19, 2012
My first thought - especially in an office environment where the air tends to be dry - is to put it on a little dish full of pebbles kept topped off with water. You could also mist it daily, but it's going to be hard to do that without spritzing water all over your window (annoying).
posted by ErikaB at 11:06 AM on May 19, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 9:21 AM on May 19, 2012