Syngonanthus chrysanthus ‘Mikado’
Picked up this rather strange plant yesterday - Syngonanthus chrysanthus ‘Mikado’.
Syngonanthus chrysanthus ‘Mikado’ comes from the family of the Eriocaulaceae and is native to Brasil.
Swiped the following from a site called Wildchicken so I’ve got it for future reference:
An elegant and unusual new tender plant, which forms a rosette of foliage from which long straight stems grow, each bearing one, creamy-gold, pin-head flower. Very much an indoor plant in the UK, it could be tried in a warm bright bathroom where it will have the humidity and warmth it needs to thrive.
Aspect
Bright but indirect light. Needs humid surroundings.Soil
Acid compost (pH of 4-5). Well drained but kept moist at all times.Hardiness
Tender - best grown between 19-22°C.Maintenance
Because of its origin as a swamp plant, humidity should be kept high, at around 70% if possible. Keeping the plant in a tall, straight sided vase, or a deep shallow bowl, and spraying it regularly with filtered water will help to keep the humidity level up. Water regularly, from the bottom of the pot rather than from above, and don’t allow the compost to dry out. The best place for it would probably be a bright, warm bathroom, unless you can provide its exact requirements elsewhere.
I’ve got mine in the bathroom at the moment, but worried it gets too much sun in the morning…
More photos of Syngonanthus chrysanthus
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June 4th, 2007 09:54
Thanks for adding a link, Mark! I like your photos, by the way.
June 4th, 2007 10:41
Thanks Miranda
September 26th, 2007 20:55
Bought one of these about a week ago and have had it on the kitchen windowsill (gets the morning sunshine so not to hot) and it seems to be thriving along with the venus fly traps. I spray mine with mineral water every day and wasn’t really sure how to look after it until now. Thanks for your help. Joanne
September 27th, 2007 10:30
Well mine has seen better days now - it’s turning brown. However it’s significantly healthier than two that I picked up from Ikea a couple of months ago. These went from bad to worse, and are totally dead now. I wonder if the first Syngonanthus chrysanthus that I got will survive through to the spring?
April 11th, 2008 19:07
I also picked mine up recently at a Daytona Garden Show. Unusual and unknown to me before now. See it grown in very shallow dishes also - - how does that work? Thanks, Mark.
July 3rd, 2008 11:27
We bought one that lasted beautifully for about 3 months. Then despite watering, misting, and the correct amount of sun each day. it started to turn brown and dry up. Now it’s totally dead. Apparently these plants do not last forever.
January 25th, 2009 05:47
I have succuess in growing these now for a year and I find that they need clean, mineral free water. They have to be watered with rain or reverse osmosis water. If there is even a slight buildup of minerals in the soil, they will die. The pot should also sit in a shallow dish of of water at all times.
I grow them with orchids in a west window with filtered light. They are only fertilized very weakly once a month or if I remember. Temperature is around 12min in winter to 30 max in summer. Humidity is at a constant 50-60%.
When watered with tap water, their roots die and the plant dries up.
July 13th, 2009 19:54
I have had one of these for about a year, and it is still doing quite well. The big thing that I discovered early on is that it is *very* sensitive to hard water. If you fertilize it, it’s dead. If you happen to have hard water, it is probably dead (although maybe not immediately).
I water mine with distilled water, and it has continued blooming generously.
If it starts to turn brown you might try soaking it with distilled water to flush out any mineral deposits.