Good houseplants by any chance?

Discussion in 'Fungi, Lichens and Slime Molds' started by MohaganyEclipse, Jun 3, 2009.

  1. MohaganyEclipse

    MohaganyEclipse Member

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    Location:
    Toquerville, utah, USA
    I love having plants in my room, only thing is I practically live in a dark dungeon. Those 'energy saver' bulbs arent very bright and only one currently employed. I have no windows and my door is shut most the time when I'm at work so it stays cool and dark as I'm in basement level. Is there perhaps a mushroom type that loves that sort of enviroment, making an ideal houseplant?
     
  2. K Baron

    K Baron Well-Known Member

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    Location:
    North Vancouver, B.C., Canada
    Try a Cast Iron Plant aka Chinese Evergreen botanical name... Asphidistra? Sp?
     
  3. MohaganyEclipse

    MohaganyEclipse Member

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    Toquerville, utah, USA
    I took a look a some pictures of the Chinese Evergreen: its pretty! It'll be perfect for my room, thanks ever so much for the refrence!
     
  4. joclyn

    joclyn Rising Contributor

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    Location:
    philly, pa, usa 6b
    chinese evergreen, peace lily, china doll, epiphyllums, all would do well in the conditions you have.

    you could get a couple of 'grow' lights to add some lighting as even these that do well in shady conditions still do need some bit of sunlight - real or artificial. the grow lights are usually the tube fluorescent type...they do also come in the style of incandescent bulbs, so you can use them in any regular lamp that you already have (and would avoid extra costs involved with buying the fixtures for the tube lights).
     
  5. Barbara Lloyd

    Barbara Lloyd Well-Known Member

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    Location:
    Anacortes, Washington, USA
    Mahogany,
    In 1936, George Orwell wrote his novel “Keep the Aspidistra Flying”. It is an old-fashioned, tough-leathery foliage house plant. In fact, Aspidistra along with the Kentia palm long before we heard about a peace lily or Aglaonema was a favorite indoor plant during the Victorian era when houses were anything but bright and airy. Today, in the Southern United States you will find Aspidistra usually growing completely carefree as a groundcover in dense, dark shade.
    The Chinese evergreen is a different family all togeter - Chinese lily or Aglaonema. Both will work but the chinese has shorter leaves and the Aspidistra has longer leaves. Google both and see the difference. I am a house plant nut and have given some presentations on "Low Light Plants" both of these were represented along with Sanseveria-Snake plant and others. Again google Low light plants and see what you come up with......barb
     
  6. C.Wick

    C.Wick Active Member

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    Sadly very few fungi will grow continuously with any sort of effort/or lack of like plants. There are many long lived species but their host tend to be trees....which need the outdoors to survive. If you're ever the 'experimental' terranium sort however? You can grow some beautiful lichens from branches just to watch the process...mine don't need much light at all. Or, you can get fungi plugs thru catelogs for mushrooms...and grow the kinds they offer on compost bags (or on pillow cases so it seems) that usually come in a kit.
     
  7. MohaganyEclipse

    MohaganyEclipse Member

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    Location:
    Toquerville, utah, USA
    Thanks for all the info! IV got a dozen ideas I want to try now
     

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