"Unusual plants: Curculigo"

Not an orchid and not a palm, Curculigo is a genus of stemless perennial tuberous rhizomes resembling juvenile coconut palms. They're in the family Hypoxidaceae, which is associated with the Amaryllis and Lily families. They hail from tropical Asia, Maylasia, and Australia, and need to be house or greenhouse plants in most of the US. Their low light requirements make them ideal as house palms. Their flowers occur at the base of the plant, and although shaped like orchid flowers, are not as spectacular. The foliage is, though, consisting of strongly ribbed, long, arching leaves on long petioles.

Curculigo capitulata, Palm Grass, is the smaller and hardier of the two species we offer. Although frost tender, it will resprout from the rhizome in warm climates where the ground does not freeze. The spikes of yellow flowers at the base of this plant are showier than those of C. orchidoides, and the foliage somewhat less grand, but still reaching 3' long.	Curculigo capitulata4" pot $8.00 Limit 1
Curculigo orchidoides, Orchid Palm, pictured at the top of the page, has long, arching, strongly ribbed leaves that may reach 8' long with age. However, the plant is sensitive to container size, and so can easily be kept smaller. The butter-yellow flowers at the base of the plant can occur anytime of year under the right conditions. With or without bloom, it is a very dramatic house palm.	Curculigo orchidoides 4" pot $8.00 Limit 1