Identification: Houseplant ID needed

Discussion in 'Indoor and Greenhouse Plants' started by Dahlia, Aug 10, 2007.

  1. Dahlia

    Dahlia Member

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    Location:
    California, USA
    Can anyone identify this plant? It has done well with minimal care in an office with florescent light 40 hours/week. I'd love to know what it is and where I might find another.
     

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  2. aguy1947

    aguy1947 Member

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    Location:
    Newfoundland Canada
    Schefflera actinophylla? Tree grown as a house plant. There are several in that pot - divide? Also known as umbrella plant/tree. They get quite large/bushy as house plants with some good light. Seeing one outdoors in Florida 20 ft tall was an experience for someone from Canada. Beware of spider mites if conditions get too dry indoors. Handsome plant in the pic.
     
  3. bluesea

    bluesea Member

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    Location:
    central Florida USA
    I don't know what this plant is, but I don't think it's a Schefflera, unless it's a new
    type with non-typical leaves. I can see where one might think it's a Schefflera at first
    glance, but with a closer look it appears to be something else.
    Russ
    central Fla
     
  4. saltcedar

    saltcedar Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    Location:
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    If it bleeds latex I'd say it's a Ficus.

    HTH
    Chris
     
  5. joclyn

    joclyn Rising Contributor

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    Location:
    philly, pa, usa 6b
    looks like a rubber tree to me. they're fairly common in most garden centers so you should be able to find another one pretty easily.

    they also come in a 'burgundy' variety. the more sunlight it gets the more reddish tones appear on the stalks and in the veins of the leaves.
     
  6. bluesea

    bluesea Member

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    Location:
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    I'm very familiar Ficus elastica and its commonly available varieties, these leaves look much smaller, have distinctive sunken veining, and the leaf is the wrong shape. As I said, I don't know what it is, but it's not any of the suggestions so far.

    Russ
     
  7. photopro

    photopro Well-Known Member

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    Couldn't agree more with Russ! I've been growing Ficus elastica (Rubber Tree) for many years and have grown many forms. I currently have one 14 feet tall in our atrium that is variegated. The "canes" are wrong and the leaf shape is definitely wrong on this one. But I too am stumped on this one. You can easily find out if this is some sort of ficus by taking a leaf and cutting it in half. If it oozes a whitish sticky liquid, then perhaps it may be. I'd recommend you remove an entire leaf, photograph both sides, and try this little experiment then post the photos and the results.
     
  8. photopro

    photopro Well-Known Member

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    The leaves do somewhat resemble Ficus benjamina but the stems and "canes" just don't look right. Do an internet search for that plant and compare several photos. You might also try just doing a photo search on the web for "ficus" and compare a lot of the photos. The leaf veins are not prominent in Ficus benjamina.
     
  9. Junglekeeper

    Junglekeeper Esteemed Contributor 10 Years

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    Location:
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    Might be Corynocarpus laevigatus, Karaka Nut.
     
  10. photopro

    photopro Well-Known Member

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    Sharp eyes Junglekeeper! The leaf looks just like the photos of Corynocarpus laevigatus . Great observation!
     
  11. Dahlia

    Dahlia Member

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    Location:
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    Thank you so much for so many knowledgeable and helpful comments! I can see how the original photo could look like the various suggestions, so here are some additional photos to help distinguish the mystery plant. Also, it doesn't bleed latex--thanks for asking. The closest plant I'm familiar with is a pittosporum, but the leaves aren't quite right, the way new leaves come on is different (one at a time instead of in a bunch), and the pittosporum's I've known like more light than what this plant gets. I'm not familiar with the Corynocarpus -- will look it up!
     

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