ID please.

I LOVE this plant! . . . but I don't know what it's called. It goes so well in my bedroom, with the pink leaves. Can someone tell me what it is, and if there's anything I need to know about taking care of it?

Closer shot of the leaves.

Here's why I like it so much.

It is a Cordilyne. This one is called "Red Sister".

Do not over water. Spritz for humidity. Leaf tips will brown if not enough.

Do not be alarmed when some of the bottom leaves yellow out and drop off. Just pick them off at the base. This is normal transition from the grower's environment to someone's home.

No need to repot for quite a while. Look out for mealybugs!

Gita

Thank you Gitagal! I appreciate the ID and the tips!

After the bottom leaves drop off, will they grow back, or will it stay bare at the base?

I'm pretty good with outdoor gardening, but I haven't had much luck inside up until now. I'm going to try hard now though because we just moved into a new house with lots of natural light and hard floors.

If you wonder why the floors matter, it was hard to keep houseplants on the carpet in the old house (one overwatering incident and there would be an icky mess) and hard floors make for echo-y environment, which plants help with. I just can't bring myself to use a bunch of fakes.

Okay, I'm off to research mealy bugs, what they look like and what to do about them!

Oh, by the way, does Cordilyne need lots of light, as in pull back the sheers and move it even closer to that North facing window you see in the pic, or will it be okay like it is? I usually keep the red sheers down and the white drapes open just like it is in the pic.

This message was edited Jan 13, 2008 10:35 PM

Nice Cordyline. There are quite a few listed in Plant Files, maybe yours is there: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=cordyline&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&search_prefs%5Bblank_cultivar%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search

Thanks for the link. Yes it was there. They called it a Hawaiian Ti Plant. There was only one pic there, but if that pic is any indication, it does look like they lose their bottom leaves just as you said, Gita.

I wish I could keep it from having bare stems. I just love the way it looks now.

Peeper,

NO! The leaves will not re-grow. It is just that in Florida, where most of these plants are grown, the weather is perfect and if they are grown in a Greenhouse, the conditions are perfect. Growers also feed and feed their plants with almost every watering, so they grow lush. I used to work for one here. Then--they spend a week on truck in paper sleeves, and then get put in a store with low humidity, and then you take them home, etc...etc....
I know all this from experience, as I was in charge of the whole Greenhouse in my Home Depot for 5 years. So I saw a lot of plants come and go and can tell you what happens to them when they sit around...Here, only the 4 oldest HD's have Greenhouses. They no longer build them here. All the plants just sit in a garden area inside the store. Makes me sick!!! At least in a GH, you can hose the whole place down every now and then. Inside--you have to worry about every little puddle......Liability--you know!

So, the plant responds by loosing a few leaves and also, perhaps, some of the brilliant coloring. Don't worry about it having a long stem with leaves on top! Same as the Dracena Marginata, it will just look more "exotic".

Good luck! Gita

I had one a few years ago and had it in a well lit room with skylights and I think it got burnt by the direct sunlight; north is probably a good plan? Beauty!