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purpleinopp

Callisia fragrans, liftoff has commenced

Ecstatic isn't enough to describe how excited I am about this new development I just noticed. Pretty sure I see them coming from 2 other sections too. Woohoo!

Comments (49)

  • User
    11 years ago

    Wow! It's really happy with you!
    Let me know if you like the smell.
    I would be interested in having one as a houseplant
    if the fragrance is nice.

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Yes I know I LOVE LOVE LOVE the smell from when it bloomed last winter. A very strong, sweet smell.

  • olympia_gardener
    11 years ago

    Nice, purple. This is a very interesting plant... I like its reddish color and babies at end of spikes like a spider plant... is very fragrant, uhm, I love to have one of this someday.

  • meyermike_1micha
    11 years ago

    Purple!!! Do you have any idea of how happy I am to see you with us???YUP!

    Now seriously, I will beat Olympia, you hear me right, to this plant!lol Yet another sin and I will be proud to get one too. I have never heard of this plant and now that Purple, yes you Purple have enabled me, it's all your fault.lol

    I have to say you have a might gift at every plant I see you grow and my hat off to you. I don't know, too many people here have too many nice plants that I DO NOT have just yet.lol

    Thanks for introducing another need to me.. I always make room for anything with the sweet smell. Heck, I was willing to give up my bed room for more!

    Mike

  • meyermike_1micha
    11 years ago

    Ok everyone..I JUST BOUGHT ONE..lol

    You know, I had to have it. Thanks Purple..lol

    This is a confession of my yet again another sin..lol

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/CALLISIA-FRAGRANS-BASKET-PLANT-1-MEDIUM-SIZE-PLANT-6-TALL-12-WIDE-6-POT-/121008350972?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0amp;hash=item1c2ca8e6fc

    Mike

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks, Olympia!

    Mike, thanks for the kind words! Oh my, I guess we should be careful what pics we show here, the responsibility is overwhelming. Ha! So you weren't kiddin about wanting one. Hope you enjoy your plant as much as I do mine. When do you expect it? FWIW, the one in the ground outside is not phased at all by the couple light frosts we've had.

    Hope I'm never standing between you and a plant you want. I'd be tossed aside like a feather!

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    And, forgot to say, I lurk here regularly, just don't have many fragrant plants.

    The Gardenia shrub in the yard is getting full of buds though...

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Has anyone had flowers come from a dangling piece of C. fragrans? I notice these stalks are only coming from tops that are directly in the soil, not from any of the pieces dangling from another piece...

  • roseyd
    11 years ago

    I may have to put this one on my wish-list. I don't know if I have it in me to have a hanging plant in my slanted ceiling apartment...

    It's beautiful - but I can't imagine having a 5 foot hanging plant, though.

    why can't plants stay small? well, that didn't sound right... I like to see them grow - I just wish that not every plant would eventually require 10" + pots to hold them (and in full sun)...

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Rosey, if it helps (enables,) this plant doesn't seem to care much whether it's in sun or shade.

    I said: "FWIW, the one in the ground outside is not phased at all by the couple light frosts we've had." Wrong. It just took a few days to show up. Certainly not dead, but the edges are all going crisp. The experiment with the in-ground piece is over, pulled up & potted it yesterday. Just too juicy and pretty to let it freeze...

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    An update on the flower stalks' progress...

    The mama has 5 forming but I could only get a pic showing 4:

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    The other plant:

  • birdsnblooms
    11 years ago

    Purple..Wow, your Callisia bud has really grown tall.
    It's doing great.
    What type of fertilize does it get? Toni

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Hey, Toni, I know, I'm so excited! I had to move this plant to the front room where I never close the blinds because the stalk was bumping in its' other spot. It's much safer now as far as NOT getting snapped off.

    I don't think I fertilized this plant, it was hanging in a tree away from the others, and doesn't seem to need it. If it grew faster, well that's a scary thought, not sure I would want to encourage that.

    It's on pace with what it did last year. Right after coming in, a different "thing" started coming up from the main part of this weird plant, fast enough to be noticeably different from day to day. I remember the blooms showing up right around Christmas.

    They're only on the pieces directly in the soil. Anything branching off from a main stem, or dangling too far from the soil has no stalks and no sign of them forming. If most of your plant is dangling, that could be the lack of flowers. It's as if the plant knows which parts are sturdily upright enough to support a flower stalk.

    This plant is seriously going to look like it's beyond human control when all of these stalks get tall. Cool. ("SO THERE" to the TC buds that all fell off!) Hahaha!

  • jodik_gw
    11 years ago

    There was a point several years ago that I had a plant of similar fashion... possibly the same type... an offset which was sent to me as a gift, from a mother plant that lived outdoors year round in Texas. It never bloomed, as yours appears to be doing, but I believe I can tell you two things about it...

    1. It blooms in that basket because plants that are stressed in any way... and in this case we may be talking about root space... often try to reproduce quickly to pass on their genetics, and flowering would create seed in the natural world. Being "potbound" is often enough to force a plant to flower.

    2. Those "pups" hanging down would have soil access in the natural world, and would be considered offsets, or actually stolons, and much like the Spider plant, they would grow a bit away from the mother, root, and form their own colonies, thus spreading out and creating lasting genetics at the same time. In hanging, they are forced to feed off the mother plant, and don't have enough energy to flower on their own.

    Such a plant type has two differing ways of reproducing. You're lucky enough to see both!

    The one I had grew ungainly in size, and I didn't have anywhere to keep it in winter... so it eventually fell victim to a basement window and dogs got into and tore it to shreds.

    I'm very interested in seeing what those blooms look like!

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks for sharing, Jodik! The flowers are miniscule but abundant, and as a whole it kind of looks like a tiny feather duster.

    I'm familiar with how the stolons work. I was given a small piece of this plant about 18 months ago, and have had to give pieces away often as it grows faster than I can keep it. One has to keep an eye on those or they will take root in other pots. It's an invasive house plant. Ha!

    Meshing what you said (excellent point #2) with what I've observed, I think it's safe to say that unrooted stolons don't produce flowers. These are damaged by frost, which would likely hit just about the time the flowers are being formed if your weather was similar in TX.

    I do disagree with the potbound-causes-blooms thing though, in general with the exception of some plants, and in particular to this one. The mama plant was repotted with the roots trimmed to tiny nubs this spring, and the other plant with the flower stalk is a cutting I stuck in that pot in June or July. I unpotted both before coming inside for winter to see if they were in need of repotting before spring. The part that bloomed last winter was the original, just-rooted-that-spring cutting. Both are growing foliage at an almost ridiculous rate, as well as the flower stalks.

    There should be plenty of days warm enough to take these outside while the flowers are open. Maybe I can get some seeds this time if the flowers get pollinated.

    This is a pic of the flowers it made last time.

  • jodik_gw
    11 years ago

    Those ARE interesting blooms! Thanks for sharing!

    In that case, I would say that the plant has gotten the right combination of nutrition, light, and temperature... enough to induce it into budding for you! Either way, it looks great!

    My point was, mainly, that many plants will bloom as a result of being potbound... and often, this kind of stress is the cause. Not always, though, as you have ensured it has ample root room.

    Sometimes, it's simply a case of all the right things aligned that cause a plant to bloom... and nothing negative.

    Actually, those flowers remind me of a shrub I've seen... can't think of the name...

  • meyermike_1micha
    11 years ago

    Those flowers are the cutest things!

    Mine was floppy and weak when it arrived, but now had stiffen up quite a bit. I think it may have gotten very cold in transit and is now satisfied with its new surroundings!

    Sheesh, from the sounds of it, it is as if I am growing a first class very fragrant weed..lol

    This thing better not get that big, or it will wind up like Jodik's did, only without the dog to be replaced by the cat instead...Lol. If I wanted to let him have a field day, this plant would certianly fit the bill with its lon stolons...lol

    Jodik, does it remind you of the 'winter hazel' bush?

  • jodik_gw
    11 years ago

    Witch Hazel! Thanks, Mike! I knew someone would think of it, or something close to it! I do believe it's similar to what's commonly known as Witch Hazel, maybe.

    I actually got the original plant as a division, and it grew so fast that I potted it up to about a 2 gallon sized pot. I kept it outside during nice weather, and just didn't have anywhere to keep it for winter... so it had to sit on a table in the basement. Unfortunately for me, a young litter of pups, not mine, also were relegated to a pen in the basement, and they broke out and destroyed everything. What a mess.

    I no longer keep personal items where they can be messed with... or, at least, I try not to. As long as everything I own can be upstairs, I'm okay. And I'm short on room.

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Mike, good luck with your plant although I don't even think it's necessary with this one.

    Jodik, so sorry about your plant!! Have you seen Fothergilla? These blooms kind of look like those to me too.

    "the right combination of nutrition, light, and temperature"
    "...a case of all the right things aligned that cause a plant to bloom..."

    IKR, the mysterious magic!! For something like Sans, it does seem to be a mystery but from what I've seen of this plant, it just needs lots of light and a piece directly rooted. I don't mean to be disagreeable and appreciate your input very much. The potbound thing just doesn't make sense to me, the desperation thing just isn't logical when concluded to its' end. In nature, there are no boundaries resembling the confines of a pot, and blooming plants do their thing reliably at the normal time annually (assuming sexual maturity.) To the potbound Sans or AV, it seems one could say it just matured enough to bloom. Baby oaks don't make acorns. The "conditions met" thing makes much more sense, even if we can't understand them at times. Just MVHO. Open to considering whatever angles/examples people care to throw out there, agreeable or discordant.

    Ever take cuttings late in the season and they kind of get put on hold? I was going to send these pictured below to a friend in OH but by the time I got ready to do it, the weather hasn't been cooperative as far as being nice in both places (and along the way) for a few days. So now (about 5 weeks later,) everything's got roots and today I noticed this silly flower stalk coming up from what I would call a tiny stolon, but it has roots. This cup was kept in almost total shade after assembling the cuttings because other things in there would burn, it was only going to be for a day or two... Or could you conclude something else from this situation? There are 2 severed-then-rooted stolons of C. fragrans in this cup and I *think* the one with the flower stalk came from a plant in a lot of sun. The other one I *think* came from a plant in the shade in the back yard (in the ground.) The mama that made that stolon (the frostbite plant mentioned above) was itself a stolon stuck in the ground experimentally months ago. I checked again just now and it shows no signs of a flower stalk. So if lots of direct light is a factor, which it seems to be, bringing a plant in around the end of Oct should be enough (when this stuff all went into shade.) A very rudimentary observation no doubt.

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Frostbite mama. Started many new stolons when I removed the others.

    P.S. (although it will be on top...) At the top, that's what PS looks like if it's almost certainly going to fail to root. Even if it sacrifices its' tip, this piece still has hope, based on previous observation. Most of the cuttings look great though. My little corner of Opp will be purple again next year.

  • jodik_gw
    11 years ago

    Ah, well... we win some and we lose some. I was grateful for the gift, and I tried my best to keep it thriving. Unfortunately, life happens when we least expect it!

    Lately, I've been chasing goats out of the rose gardens! A group of about 5 are young and small enough to slip through the fence, and they love those tender tips! LOL! It's always something!

    I may not be explaining myself well. What I mean when I speak of pot bound plants is... it's often said in the industry that certain plants "like" to be tight in their pots, and it often causes blooming. The truth is, they don't like to be bound up, and wouldn't be in nature. We confine them, so they have no choice but to grow roots where they can, if they remain healthy and growing... but it's not a preference for the majority of plants. That's what I mean. And many types will bloom or try to set seed or offset, or grow pups or whatever way they have to reproduce, because the mother plant feels stressed by the crowded roots, or choked off... do you know what I mean? In other words, it's not a preference to be pot bound, and it often causes certain plants to look for a way to produce that next generation to carry forward the genetic material, and may do so out of its normal bloom season.

    Anyway... the frost bitten part doesn't really look that bad... and I found that the plant rooted anywhere it could, which I think you mentioned somewhere above, and very easily! At one point, I had to cut off a piece that was laying in another pot, as it had rooted in, attaching the two pots! I'm fairly certain it was the same plant... it looked identical, though mine hadn't bloomed. Now I wonder if I fertilized it enough when I had it... though it wasn't that old. Maybe two years, I had it for? I can't remember. LOL!

    I have a terrible memory... don't mind me!

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I feel the same way! If I could remember more crud, these mysteries would be easier to solve. Thanks for the additional stuff to ponder. If we keep taking pics and yakking about it, I'm sure we'll at least have fun.

    When the frost-bitten parts of those leaves finish dying, I'll trim them off and take another pic. That thing is bursting with stolons. Lots of possibilities for experimenting next summer!

    If you find yourself lonely for this plant again in the spring, I'm sure we could work some kind of trade. I'm open to suggestions when it warms back up.

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    An updated pic, the flower stalks REFUSE to go straight up. Getting excited!

  • jodik_gw
    11 years ago

    Holy flowering shoots, Batman! Wow, those got really long! It's really progressing! I'm convinced I didn't feed mine enough... it never tried to produce flowers.

    Most of the potted items I bring outside only get a sprinkling of Osmocote or a granular feed and insect control. I'm not as particular with outside plants as I am with my indoor specimens, which are mostly bulbs. That's probably why it never bloomed... that, and I think it met its demise way too soon.

    I was amazed at how fast it grew, though! What began as a cutting or offset quickly filled the pot and overflowed, as I recall! In better circumstances, it could have been more than I have space for, that's for sure!

    Thank you for the offer... I'll definitely keep it in mind. My only issue is wintering space, which I'm severely short on.

    Do the flowers kind of curve downward once in bloom? Or do they hold themselves upright? I'd be very interested in seeing what they look like once they appear, and how the plant holds them.

    I honestly don't think it looks that frost burnt... maybe a leaf tip or two. In any case, I found it to be a cool plant if a grower has the space for it. I just have to be a little bit conservative in that department... but I'm happy to watch yours grow through pictures!

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I don't think it will lean much more than that, looks nearly ready for some flowers to open, near the tip. I was trying to turn it at least every-other day, but they just want to lean a bit. Inside, plants only get light from 1 side, frustrating but just how it is.

    Sorry if I created confusion talking about multiple pots of this plant. The one that got frost burn is visible at the bottom of the last pic, just left of center, not the main mama. Conveniently, I cropped the pic to not include the frost-burned leaves. If I could reach the frost-burned plant more easily, I would remove the brown tips, but it just seems like too much trouble so far.

  • jodik_gw
    11 years ago

    Ah, okay... modern technology works great for keeping the focus exactly where we want it, doesn't it?! I Photoshop most of my pictures, too... mainly to re-size, sharpen the focus, put a name or date in the file name, and to get them web ready.

    I can imagine it would be difficult to keep turning that particular plant. Some of mine end up reaching for the light. It's the price I pay for having them packed so tightly in a small area for winter! Spring cannot get here soon enough!

    Mad dash last night to get my Japanese Maples and a few other items inside a closed building... what began as a fairly mild day with a little drizzle turned into a frigid winter blizzard with high winds! We didn't get much snow, but it's definitely winter now! C'mon spring! I hate winter with a passion!

    It will be very cool to see those long buds open into blooms! It's really nice to have flowers this time of year!


  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    It sounds like you could school me on playing with pics. Cropping and adjusting the exposure if they're too dark is about all I'm good for. I'd love to play with photoshop sometime.

    It is impossible to turn this plant now, that really long stalk would be mushed against the window. I've given up on keeping them all rounded inside this winter. There's just not room to turn most of them, like a puzzle the leaves only fit one way.

    I hate winter too. It's so much easier (shorter duration, and temps not as low) in AL than OH, but still much too cold for me!!

    Nothing new to report yet... watching...

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    The shorter ones insist on mushing against the window, the taller one is getting taller still... whatever that thing is on the wall, I didn't see it until I looked at the pic. Guess I need to get rid of that.

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Ok, a pic says 1,000 words... about how I'm wrong... but this is cool! This dangler's making a flower stalk.

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Better with the pic, otherwise 1,000 words are missing!

  • jojosplants
    11 years ago

    Puple! This is so cool! I've enjoyed this thread and can't wait to see the blooms!
    Tell it to hurry! lol...

    JoJo

  • jodik_gw
    11 years ago

    Right before Christmas my monitor burnt some capacitors, or something... it quit, and I was left temporarily without backup. However, one of the joys of being married to "MacGuyver" is that there's another unit not far from easy repair for temporary use. I'm on a laptop with a version of Windows I hate, none of my usual programs or links or files, with many of the letters worn off the keyboard. But, hey... it's internet worthy!

    Actually, publishing and working with photos is something I've been doing for decades, even though I still haven't mastered all the options available with Photoshop. It's a great program, though, and does everything I need to fully edit and publish whatever I'm working on. I think part of the key is having a decent camera and using the right settings when taking pictures. After that, any photo fixing is minimal and fairly easy... once you know a little about the various options available with Photoshop.

    I usually begin by finding out the actual pixel size of my picture, cropping out any areas I don't want, re-sizing it as necessary, sharpening the image a bit, and then saving it as a web ready image, giving it a new file name for ease of identification. It's really just a few clicks... as long as you begin with a decent photo from a good camera. I try to keep photo size around 500 x 300 pixels on average for ease of upload and viewing.

    Ok... so I'm down a monitor, got sick over the holidays, forgot my camera at my son's house... and still feel like 18-wheeler roadkill!

    Nice picture... looks like it's very close to opening those little bud groups! I'm very interested in how it looks while in full bloom!

    Hope everyone had a nice holiday... and has a nice evening!

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Heythere, good to hear from you, I was wondering about you, and others were too on HT. Sounds like you've been through a lot the past few weeks! Sorry about your monitor and hope you feel better soon!

    I think our (DH's) camera is pretty good but I have zero photog skills. Up until this summer, I just used my phone for pics. All I know to do on the real camera is regular vs. macro but there's a dial of settings I never use and a bigger lens I don't even know what that's for. Then I can crop and lighten if it's too dark. I just use the windows thing that came with the computer. DH says if I can keep remembering to put the lens cap on, he'll teach me some more photo stuff. Ha! If I somehow find myself with Photoshop and needing some instructions, I know who to bug!

    Just checked again this morning, no flowers open yet, just getting taller and taller...

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Glad I looked again. Now I just have to figure out how to get my nose and this bloom together...

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    The whole plant. Woohoo!

  • jodik_gw
    11 years ago

    That is so neat! It looks like tiny sprigs of Baby's Breath done up in an arrangement! They are beautiful little flowers!

    I think you'll probably notice a scent as more tiny individual florets open, and possibly either at dusk or nighttime, when some flowers seem to throw a stronger scent... if this plant has one, that is.

    It's really neat, though!

    Yeah... it's been a heck of a couple weeks. I didn't need the added stress, on top of being sick, of getting jumped for voicing the truth at HT, so I didn't miss my monitor in that respect, though I do miss reading what some of the more logical posters write. I should have my own monitor back soon... hopefully. In the meantime, I'm just trying to feel better, and catch up with some of what I've missed.

    I'll venture over there at some point, though I'm not in a big hurry for more verbal punishment. ;-)

    Very nifty plant... keep the pictures coming; you're doing fine!

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks! Lots of blooms open this morning... smells SO GOOD!

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I wired this stem with a coat hanger.

  • jodik_gw
    11 years ago

    Beautiful! Very dainty flowers!

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Last spring I made a mixed-plant bucket for a friend and, as seems to be the karma of this plant, HIS flowers are better than mine, as mine are better than the person who gave it to me. What a great passalong!

    So thought I'd include some pics, sorry, dunno why they're so dark. HIS "main" flower stalk is branching out.

    P.S. Does anyone do palm readings? LOL!

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    From a diff. angle.

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Also, one of the stolons on his plant is making its' own stolons. MY plant(s) doesn't do that. One must give some away to see what it can do...

  • mrlike2u
    11 years ago

    Your palm indicates you have money
    Your plants indicate what you spend the money on
    The reason why they move away from the bright window is to chase the heat and light reflecting back off the walls

    The money line on your other palm ( the one I cant even see) indicates that the use of a crystal ball is needed when glanced into it shows you may have a sun roof window in your future. Knowing that crystal balls are sometimes uncertain one thing is:
    Even if the pics aren't clear I can tell from your one dimly light palm the only advice I can offer is don't play poker for money

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Hilarious, and good advice. Thanks, Mr. Like!

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I looked up this thread to see how long the flower stalks have been on my 'main' plant... 'cuz 2 are still on there, still blooming! I was going to break them off soon because I haven't seen the flowers open for a while, and no sign of any seeds forming, but they were open in full force this morning.

  • jamilalshaw26
    8 years ago

    I know this is an old post. But I looooove this plant. Is it hard to find?

  • Carol love_the_yard (Zone 9A Jacksonville, FL)
    7 years ago

    Tiffany, are you still in love with this plant, or are you over it? Trying to decide whether to keep or toss mine. Heck, I could have 15 potted plants with just the amount of growth I've had since acquiring it last fall!

    Thanks in advance,

    Carol in Jacksonville (Florida)

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