Description
Mitrophyllum mitratum. It is adapted to life in arid conditions. More dependent for growth on winter fog from the west coast than rain, the plant produces two dissimilar leaf-pairs per stem-tip during the colder, (slightly) wetter season. The spreading, channelled, lower leaf-pair holds on top of it the cylindrical stem-part forming the base of the upper leaf-pair. This cylindrical part will next year become the woody stem-growth when two more leaf-pairs will appear from the stem-tip. Sowing : The small seeds can be sown in pots of fine, well-drained sand, any time during the summer months when temperatures are warm. Cover the seeds with a very fine layer of grit and water from below with a fungicide to prevent damping off. For the first 3-4 days cover the pots with a sheet of glass/clear Perspex to keep the humidity levels high. Remove the glass and replace it with light shade cloth and mist once or twice a day for the next two weeks after which most seeds should have germinated. From then on misting can be reduced to every second and then every third day as the little plants grow. Locality: Ex Hort. Harvest: December 2020
