Hello! I was given this plant when my friend moved into a smaller space and I have had it for three years now. It has never been particularly happy, even when it wasn't too big for its pot :) I think that if I knew how to care for it, it would be happier. I hope you don't mind a couple of links... these are links to pictures of my plant: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jerasue/2383398713/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/jerasue/2383398841/ Not very good pictures, I know. Thanks in advance!
I don't know exactly what it's called, but it grows in humid tropical areas here in Ecuador. You're in Chicago, which is cold, so it's probably not too happy about being next to the window. You might also be too dry in your house for it - I tried to force it in a dry biome and it was seriously not cheery and eventually it gave up the ghost. You can try putting a dish of stones underneath the pot to give it a bit more humidity, and I'd move it in from the window to give it a better chance at being warm. If you can get it to be happy, it should have leaves all over the stems, and eventually it will bloom bright red and purple flowers.
Oh, so that's what it is. Neat. (Although I was probably growing one of the Ecuadoran endemic relatives....)
Thanks, both of you. I really appreciate your help... But I did a google search of this plant of mine, and I wasn't able to find anything that looked a lot like it (granted, mine's unhappy). Mine is over three feet tall, and this link: http://herselfshouseplants.com/2007/03/zebra-plant-aphelandra-squarrosa.html Says it wouldn't get taller than even a couple feet. I don't know... Also, I'm ALWAYS getting new growth, even in the winter time. Should I pinch that back? It's getting taller!
I thought the leaves looked like like a Aphelandra squarrosa (zebra plant) but because the way the plant looks, I wasn't sure. I found some information on this plant that might help.... The big problem w/zebra plants is leaf drop. "It's a normal occurrence in their cycle, but disheartening to gardeners. There is NO way to prevent this, but there is a solution. About a month after the flowers fade, when several of the bottom leaves have fallen off, cut the stem back to just above the second lowest node." he also recommends repotting the plant in commercial potting soil (soil of your choice) in a 1" larger pot and continue to pinch the stem back each time it has put on 6 inches of growth until the middle of July. By the following fall the plant will have developed several stems, which means more blossoms than it had when you first bought it. This plant is propagated in spring by rooting stem cuttings. These cutting will be ready to blossom in Oct and remain until December. Cutting a Zebra back after flowering is mainly to encourage flowers.
