| Negative | Monocromatico | On Sep 17, 2003, Monocromatico from Rio de Janeiro
Brazil (Zone 11) wrote:This is a parasite plant specialized on trees of the family Vochysiaceae (genera include Callisthene, Erisma, Erismadelphus, Euphronia (Lightia), Qualea, Salvertia, Vochysia) which are typically tropical. This plant will only grow on Vochysiaceae and nowhere else. Plus, it may kill the host tree after some time, dying a little after the tree is gone.
However, this is a very interesting plant! It has rubbery, sometimes leathery leaves, quite distinct from the ones of the parasited plant. During the winter it shoots out lots of tubular gold-yellow flowers that atracts several animals, specially birds. The fruits atracts birds. Inside the seeds, on the embryo´s cotyledon, there´s a sticky green mass that looks like mint chewing gum, that stick on anywhere, including new Vochysias...
If it wasn´t a killing plant, I would recomend it for any tropical garden, but since it does kill the trees (and Vochysias are very beautiful tropical trees with large flowers) I recomend avoiding it. |
