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Image shows the exotic Cryptanthus bivittatus 'Pink Starlite' |
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Cryptanthus bivittatus 'Pink Starlite'
(Starfish Plant, Earth Star) |
Family: Bromeliaceae
Origin: Brazil
Light: Low-moderate sun / part shade / light shade
Height: <6"
Spread: 12-15"
Blooms: White, stemless, mid-Spring
Foliage: Attractive, mottled, striped, pink and white, glowy, has sharp
edges
Soil: Well-drained, potting mix added with peat and orchid bark, keep
moist
Water:
Regular, drought tolerant when established
Propagation: seeds, offsets
Uses: Container, mounted on drift wood, hanging baskets
Caution: Plant has thorny edges, wear gloves
Comments: Cryptanthus bivittatus 'Pink Starlite' or Starfish Plant or Earth
Star is a colorful and attractive tropical terresterial plant with a low
spreading rosette. It looks like twinkling star with little leaf overlap.
Earth Star requires high humidity for growth and would enjoy being misted a few
times a day. It is vase-shaped and holds water in the center. Water
plant form the center. Earth Star will produce many offsets around the mother plant.
These plantlets can be removed and grown separately when they reach at least a
third the size of the mother plant. Cryptanthus bivittatus 'Pink Starlite'
has a shallower and larger root system than a bromeliad so it requires a bigger
pot, preferably plastic, to hold the moisture in. Starfish plant is carefree and low
maintenance and very easy to grow. It thrives well indoors grown
under artificial light.
Interesting Note: 'Crypt' is Latin for 'hidden' and 'anthos' is Greek for
'flowers'.
USDA Hardiness Zones : 8b-11 |
