Mapania caudata

Mapania caudata is a sedge (Cyperaceae) native to Borneo. It is widespread in central Borneo, in both the Indonesian and Malaysian parts of the island, mostly along rivers and streams. It prefers very moist, dark habitats and therefore almost always grows directly alongside flowing water, often on the clayey slopes of the riverbanks.

It grows to about 30 to 50 cm tall and forms clumps with a compact, underground rhizome. Typical of sedges, the leaves are hard due to silicate deposits and have rough, very slightly toothed edges. In mature plants, the leaves are also wavy, with numerous small tubercles.

The leaves are two-toned and metallic in color. The intensity of this metallic sheen depends heavily on the amount of light. Only in low light do the plants develop a strong metallic blue hue. In bright light, they remain more of a dark green to turquoise, but retain their metallic sheen. A distinct, light green to yellow stripe always runs along the midrib of the leaf. Fresh leaves are initially always light green, almost white, and only darken later.

Mapania caudata exhibits very strong iridescence and remains metallic even when moist, unlike most iridescent Selaginella and Begonias. It utilizes a unique mechanism in which the incorporated silicates contribute to the metallic coloration ( Strout et al. 2013 ).

There are several other iridescent Mapania species (e.g. Mapania graminea and Mapania mirae ) which probably use the same mechanism for their blue coloration.

The flower stalks are up to 50cm tall and the individual flowers are very inconspicuous, yellowish-brown. They smell like beer.

M. caudata is currently very rarely cultivated in Europe and even more rarely offered for sale. A large tropical terrarium or similar is absolutely necessary for its care. M. caudata grows slowly but is not particularly difficult to cultivate. We are offering this species here for the first time and only in limited quantities.