Cercestis mirabilis

Cercestis mirabilis is a very unusual arum lily from tropical West Africa.

Cercestis grows very slowly, producing only a few (3 to 5) leaves per year. Like many philodendrons , it grows as a vine up to 10 meters long, but so slowly that there are hardly any pictures of climbing specimens. The leaves, however, are more reminiscent of an anthurium than a philodendron and can reach up to 1 meter in length. Young leaves have a pretty white marking for which this species is known. Unfortunately, this marking disappears more and more in larger plants (though it will take several years for this to happen with the young plants offered here). Instead, the leaf shape changes, and the leaves develop slits and holes, similar to those of Monstera .

Older plants produce so-called flagella, which can grow several meters long. These are long runners, similar to those produced by Syngonium , which they use to spread vegetatively over long distances.

Cercestis mirabilis appears to combine all the characteristics of commonly cultivated aroids. It grows like a philodendron , but with leaves like an anthurium . The mature leaves are similar to those of a monstera , yet it propagates like a syngonium . Despite this combination of characteristics, it is not closely related to any of these other plants. Within the Araceae family, it belongs to the tribe Culcasiae, and almost no species from this tribe are cultivated as houseplants.



Special offer! You will receive a young plant approximately 10 cm tall with 1 to 3 leaves in a 9 cm pot. See the last picture in the gallery.