Re: OT: Rapataceae

From: SelbyHort at aol.com on 2000.04.20 at 22:33:17(4405) Stegolepis is in the family Rapateaceae and members of this genus are from Northern S. America. We have one Stegolepis collected from Guyana in the Kaiteur Falls area. I don't know what species this is, but it does have the fan shaped habit you describe. The inflorescence is a delicate looking spikelet (that actually has a very tough wiry stalk) that forms a ball-shaped head and corolla tubes of flowers are yellow-orange. I can't recall how many flowers are in the spiklet or any other details, but it is a very interesting plant with a dramatic distichous habit, somewhat resembling a smaller version of the fan shaped Traveler's Palm (Ravenala madagascariensis), a unrelated plant that is sometimes found in Florida landscapes. People who see this plant back in our greenhouses often gasp in amazement at it and want to take pictures. We don't usually have it out in display because it declines out there. I doubt this plant is commercially grown. It is very tender (requires a greenhouse and very warm humid conditions, so is not a good house plant), slow to propagate, and we never have divisions for sale. The plants do pup out at the base, so if you find one, you might be able to trade or bargain with the owner for a division. We just can't get into doing this on request, sorry. Donna Atwood Selby Gardens +More << does anyone know anything about Stegolepis and this family? i have seen some of them recently and they are gorgeous fan-shaped plants with large and long blades of green leaves. are they in cultivation? are they available commercially? i thought the habit was so pretty that they didn't even need nice flowers. does anyone know what the flowers look like in this family? >>

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