Welcome to the awesome Cochliostema odoratissimum from rain forests around Ecuador.  Throughout the year it makes super showy, orchid-like flower clusters that emerge from terrific leaves resembling a Bromeliad.  The bluish & magenta blooms are quite fascinating, and they're delightfully fragrant!  This is an easy and reliable houseplant that would make a great show plant.  My purple-leaf form of it has been very popular, and i'm glad to be offering this rare green form.

It forms a large rosette of glossy leaves about 3 feet long.  It's often mistaken for a Bromeliad, but it's actually unrelated (Commelinaceae family).  The leaves may develop a purple rim around the edges, which looks really nice.  It flowers multiple times a year, and can have several flower stalks at a time.  Each panicle is about a foot long, with about 1 to 2 dozen 2-inch flowers, which are surprisingly intricate.  They have bright magenta sepals, and violet-blue petals with frilly hairs.  There's also a tuft of yellow hairs near the center of each flower, presumably to attract pollinators.

It's easy to grow when given the right conditions.  It's a tropical species that prefers mild to warm conditions, doing fine in normal household temperatures.  It can tolerate cool nights, but it needs protection from frost.  In the wild it grows as an epiphyte in trees, but it grows just fine in a pot in well-draining soil.  A typical mix is 2 parts potting soil, 1 part perlite, and 1 part small orchid bark.  Unlike many epiphytes, you don't need to water the "tank" of the leaves, since it has a normal root system.  It enjoys bright, filtered light, and might need protection from strong afternoon sun.  It doesn't need any direct sun to thrive.  Over about 40% humidity is best for this rain forest plant.

 This auction is for the plant shown below, which can flower the first year.  Its leaves are about 8 inches long, and it is growing in a 2½ inch pot.  The leaves have some blemishes.  It will be shipped in its pot, not bare-rooted, to maintain plant vigor.  If you want shipping delayed up to 2 weeks, wait to pay please, since Ebay expects me to ship promptly.   Outside the United States mainland, contact me before bidding for the shipping terms and rates.

Save on shipping when you win one of my other items  (request a combined invoice to receive discounted shipping).  Not all plants can receive discounted shipping.  Please contact me if you have any questions.

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Strange Wonderful Things is your source for exotic, hard-to-find plants that bring the excitement back into gardening!  Most of the plants in my collection are rarely seen in nurseries, and a few are sold nowhere else on the internet.  I am a low-volume grower and don't produce many plants, so if you see something you like, please bid early!  I personally answer all emails, and provide free "technical support" through my website. - Happy growing! - Jeff

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Photos & text copyright 2024 by Strange Wonderful Things, except photo #2 used with permission of James Steakley