Rumble Among the Jungle, Matches 1.45-1.48

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.

Results from matches 1.29 to 1.32:

Ordinarily I write up the results about six or seven hours before the poll ends, and then just paste in the numbers after the poll closes at 5 PM. Makes it easier to keep up, and usually there's a wide enough split between competitors that it's obvious who's going to win well before it happens. I couldn't do that with match 1.29, though: it'd been close all along, and then as of 11:30 AM yesterday the two differed by a single vote, so it was still too close to call.

This led me to realize that I didn't announce a procedure for breaking ties. I'd thought of two possibilities when I was planning the RATJ: 1) a re-vote (arguably the most time-consuming, but also probably the most fair), or 2) I could break the ties myself (fast unless I have a hard time deciding, which is more and more likely to happen as we get closer to the end, and also arguably unfair to anybody who voted, since I wind up getting two votes that way). I have since thought of a third option, which is what I'm actually going to do for ties: if there are any, the winner will be determined by coin-flip. It doesn't drag the contest out for another three days, it's not biased, and it's easy to do. So now you know.
(In the end, Pachira aquatica defeated Pilosocereus pachycladus by a single vote: 53 to 52.)
Match 1.30 was likewise extremely close, with Cordyline fruticosa cvv. maintaining a tiny lead over Euphorbia lactea for most of the contest; when voting ended, Cordyline led Euphorbia by only three votes, 54 to 51.

Pachira aquatica and Cordyline fruticosa cvv. will now face one another in match 2.15, on October 10.

In match 1.31, after some wavering back and forth, Mimosa pudica smacked down Ravenea rivularis, 60 to 46. But in a sensitive way.
Match 1.32 is the only match from this group where the results were never in much doubt: Hibiscus rosa-sinensis clobbered Dracaena sanderiana, 69 to 36. (Asked to comment, Hibiscus said, "I got lucky.")

Mimosa pudica and Hibiscus rosa-sinensis will go head to head on October 10 as well, in match 2.16.

And now for today's first-round action:

Match 1.45
Nematanthus cvv. (guppy plant) vs. Dracaena deremensis cvv.

Various NOID Nematanthus cvv.; bottom right is N. 'Tropicana.'

Clockwise from top left: Dracaena deremensis ''Lemon-Lime,' 'Warneckei' or similar, 'Dorado,' 'Malaika,' 'Janet Craig Compacta.'





Match 1.46
Schefflera actinophylla / arboricola (umbrella tree) vs. Gardenia jasminoides (gardenia)

Top row, L-R: Schefflera actinophylla, S. actinophylla 'Renegade,' S. arboricola.
Bottom row, L-R: Schefflera actinophylla ('Amate?'), S. arboricola NOID.

(Both are of Gardenia jasminoides.)





Match 1.47
Begonia cvv. (rhizomatous begonias) vs. Hedera helix (english ivy)

Clockwise from top left: Begonia 'Soli-Mutata,' B. 'Erythrophylla,' B. 'Tiger Kitten,' NOID.

Various NOID Hedera helix cvv. The one in the bottom right corner may be 'Needlepoint.'





Match 1.48
Lithops cvv. vs. Sansevieria trifasciata cvv. (snake plant)

(All are NOID Lithops spp. or cvv.)

Top row, L-R: Sansevieria trifasciata 'Black Coral,' 'Laurentii,' 'Bantel's Sensation.'
Center row, L-R: S. trifasciata NOID, 'Hahnii,' 'Hahnii Pearl Young.'
Bottom row, L-R: S. trifasciata 'Moonglow,' 'Black Gold.'





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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?