Sunday, September 25, 2011

Rumble Among the Jungle, Matches 1.17-1.20

Rules and Stuff
1) It's probably possible to vote more than once per poll, but please don't. If I believe that someone is voting repeatedly, I will throw out those results, repost the poll, and seriously question that person's priorities.
2) If you want to link to a poll on Twitter / Facebook / your blog / whatever and encourage your friends to come and pump up the support for your favorite plants, you are encouraged to do so.
3) You are also encouraged to leave comments on Rumble posts, if so moved.
4) All photos will enlarge if opened in a separate window/tab.
5) You can choose which plant is "best" according to whatever criteria you decide for yourself. My personal process is a bit convoluted.1
6) All polls will be open for three days.


Match results, 1.1-1.4
Today we have the first set of official results to report, from matches 1.1-1.4. Winners advance to the second round; losers . . . slink quietly away in shame or something.

In match 1.1, Clivia miniata decisively defeated Kalanchoe tomentosa, 74-53.
Match 1.2 was remarkably close for the entire three days of voting; small Vriesea hybrids barely slipped past Peperomia obtusifolia cvv. with a score of 65 to 58.

Clivia miniata and small Vriesea hybrids will face one another in a couple weeks, in Match 2.1.

Ficus elastica narrowly lost match 1.3 to Cryptanthus cvv., 56-68, which surprised the hell out of me.
Finally, Tradescantia pallida made Yucca guatemalensis wish it had never been germinated in match 1.4, by a very decisive 81 to 39, which leaves me extremely disappointed with you people.

Cryptanthus cvv. will go up against Tradescantia pallida in match 2.2.

Now for today's matches:

Match 1.17
Phalaenopsis and Doritaenopsis cvv. (moth orchid) vs. Senecio rowleyanus and S. radicans (string of pearls / string of bananas)

(All unidentified Phalaenopsis cvv.)


Clockwise from top left: Senecio rowleyanus, poorly-photgraphed Senecio radicans, Senecio rowleyanus flower.






Match 1.18
Monstera deliciosa (swiss cheese philodendron) vs. Musa / Ensete cvv. (ornamental banana)

Clockwise from top left: close-up of Monstera deliciosa leaf, M. deliciosa 'Cheesecake,' mature plant at the Quad City Botanical Gardens, M. deliciosa 'Cheesecake.'


Lower left is Musa x 'Cheeka;' others are NOID Musa or Ensete cvv.






Match 1.19
Mammillaria cvv./spp. vs. Sansevieria cylindrica (wisdom horns)

Clockwise from top left: Mammillaria elongata 'Pink Nymph,' M. spinosissima, NOID, M. bombycina, NOID.


Clockwise from top: Sansevieria cylindrica, S. cylindrica flowers, cutesy braided S. cylindrica.






Match 1.20
Chamaedorea elegans (parlor palm) vs. Araucaria heterophylla (norfolk island pine)

(All Chamaedorea elegans.)


Top: young Araucaria heterophylla. Bottom: mature A. heterophylla.






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1 I'm deciding according to a hypothetical situation in which all of my houseplants are gone, as are all the other houseplants of the world, except for one producer/supplier/retailer. Said person is offering to restock me with one or the other of the plants in question but refuses to give me both. Which one would I choose?


10 comments:

Pat said...

I share your surprise that Yucca didn't romp home easily. Lovely plant.

Tom said...

How can anyone pick tradescantia over the yucca?!

mr_subjunctive said...

Pat:

My original theory was that people would pick whichever plant had the more colorful (green = not a color) picture, in which case Tradescantia should have won. So maybe that's all it is.

Tom:

I KNOW! And yet.

It's a good thing none of this actually matters, or I'd be upset.

Paul said...

How can anyone pick tradescantia over the yucca?!

Easily, Tom, very easily. heh

mr_subjunctive said...

Paul:

Nobody likes a gloater.

Tom said...

I guess some people have to have bad taste otherwise my good taste wouldn't be as obvious.

Paul said...

I'm still waiting to see evidence of your good taste in plants, Tom. LOL :D Heaven knows voting for yucky yuccas sure casts a cloud over the reliability of your judgement. ;) Ah well, SOMEONE has to love those poor homely things. (*joking*)

phantom_tiger said...

Now I feel better because I kind of wanted to vote for Vriesias but changed my mind. I don't have a Yucca and I don't think I have seen any available for sale this yr, so it wasn't the picture that made me vote against! Tradescantia pallida I am growing and it is huge and I kind of like it. Unlike the tradescantia zebrina I have which wants to plant itself in all neighbouring pots. Ha. Die Ficus elastica! I want a cryptanthus now.

paivi said...

Noooo, how can Peperomia lose to a silly (and ugly) Vriesea? What's wrong with you people?

As for the Tradescantia vs Yucca controversy, what can I say? Yucca is a boring plant and suffers from overexposure by virtue of it being the office plant of choice before Zamioculcas came and conquered. Tradescantia grows fast, has a lot of attractive foliage, is practically unkillable and can be easily propagated. Tradescantia all the way!

Kenneth Moore said...

Gah, so few of my votes are winning. And when I saw Monstera vs. Musa, I almost got angry. How can I choose? Both can get large, both can be variegated, both can be edible--but I went with Musa for two bonuses: the theoretically more easy care of it indoors (it can be cut down when/if it goes dormant) and it probably will generate fruit on a more frequent basis (once, maybe?), whereas Monstera more than likely won't.

And then I saw the current results and was appalled! I thought it would be a tight race for the two--but no, Monstera is surely trouncing Musa by miles and miles!